PAK WEE NOT ONLY LOVES EATING LEMANG BUT ALSO A PRO AT MAKING IT

TELUK INTAN, March 31 (Bernama) -- For a Chinese, Pak Wee, whose real name is Wee Fook Seong, not only loves eating lemang during the Aidilfitri season, but he has also been making this traditional Malay dish since he was eight years old.

And it seems that this 36-year-old influencer and content creator, who is synonymous with the Perak accent, can never get enough of this traditional dish every Hari Raya Aidilfitri season.

Pak Wee said that when he used to live in Felda Lasah in Sungai Siput, where he was born, he would frequently participate in preparing the lemang with the villagers.

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Lemang is a traditional Malay dish made of glutinous rice, coconut milk and salt and is cooked in a hollowed bamboo tube over an open flame for several hours.

"In Felda Lasah, 99 per cent of the residents are Malays and my family is the only Chinese people around. So, every Hari Raya, I will join the villagers in making lemang together.

"The process of cooking lemang over an open flame is exciting actually because it can strengthen the bond between families, relatives and friends. After all, it's not always that we can get together and talk about everything under the sun,” he said when met by Bernama at Kampung Parit 6D, Sungai Manik, near here yesterday.

Pak Wee, who has four daughters, said his go-to lemang is the corn lemang, which is eaten with spicy Perak beef rendang.

He said that his Malay friends would usually invite him to join them in making lemang around Perak, including in Gopeng, Sungai Siput and Teluk Intan.

"The process of making lemang begins with looking for bamboo poles and banana leaves before filling the glutinous rice into the bamboo tube. You must know the proper technique, otherwise, it's quite difficult to cook it properly.

"Cooking lemang is fun when done together in a group but the downside is when we have to turn the bamboo pole while it's cooking… because we can burn our fingers doing it!” he said.

Pak Wee said lemang is a traditional Malay community dish that is a must-have during every festive season because it is unique and tastes way better than any other festive offerings, especially modern dishes.

"Eating lemang with beef or chicken rendang can even make you sweat,” he said, adding that even his wife and daughters enjoy eating lemang.

-- BERNAMA