TOK BRI PINEAPPLE DODOL BRINGS INNOVATION TO TRADITIONAL DELICACY

By Siti Azila Alias

BALIK PULAU, March 20 (Bernama) -- The creativity of an entrepreneur from Kuala Sungai Pinang here in producing pineapple dodol has given a fresh twist to a traditional delicacy long associated with Malaysian festive fare.

Founder of Dodol Tok Bri, Nur Aimi Razak, 34, said the idea to commercialise pineapple dodol came about three years ago when she attended a course organised by the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (LPNM) in Penang.

Intrigued by the uniqueness and nutritional value of pineapples, she began exploring the fruit’s potential as the main ingredient for a new food product.

Nur Aimi said fresh MD2 pineapples are used in the production of the dodol, with the fruit blended before its extract is mixed with key ingredients such as glutinous rice flour, coconut milk and sugar using a processing machine.

She said the MD2 variety was chosen for its naturally sweeter taste and premium quality compared with other pineapple varieties, although selecting the fruit at the right stage of ripeness is crucial as it affects the final flavour of the dodol.

“If the pineapple is too ripe, the acid content becomes higher and over time the dodol will be less sweet or slightly sour. The taste is also different if we use other varieties such as Josepine or Moris,” she told Bernama when met at her premises here recently.

Nur Aimi said producing pineapple dodol is more complex than making the traditional version, as the cooking process takes between 10 and 12 hours and requires careful control of heat to maintain the right balance of flavour and texture.

“Temperature control is very important and the heat cannot exceed 150 degrees Celsius. If the fire is too strong, the dodol texture will change, becoming more like caramel and darker in colour, whereas good dodol should have a golden-yellow hue,” she said.

The mother of three said perfecting the texture of pineapple dodol was no easy task and took more than a year of research and development before the product was ready to be commercialised in February last year.

She said one cooking machine can produce between 60 and 65 kilogrammes of dodol per batch, requiring about 28 kilogrammes of pineapple extract, while enzyme-based dodol processing technology learned from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) helps produce a softer, chewier and longer-lasting texture.

Recalling the beginnings of the family business, Nur Aimi, the eldest of four siblings, said Dodol Tok Bri was started by her mother, Rozaidah Mohd Kasim, 59, in 2011 with guidance from the Agriculture Department.

Initially, the business produced various coconut-based products such as rendang paste, peanut gravy and dodol. The name ‘Bri’ was taken from the nickname of her grandmother Sabri, whose real name was Siti Supiah Awang, who died in 2020.

“Because dodol received strong demand, especially during festive seasons, my mother decided to focus on producing dodol. Besides pineapple dodol, we also produce original, pandan and durian dodol using D24 and Musang King durians,” she said.

During festive periods, total production of Tok Bri dodol can reach up to 1.2 tonnes, with about 300 to 400 kilogrammes consisting of pineapple dodol.

Before joining the family business, Nur Aimi worked in the banking sector for five years before deciding to leave her job to focus full-time on the enterprise with her siblings.

Although Tok Bri pineapple dodol has only been marketed for about a year, the company’s products, which received halal certification from the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAINPP) in 2023, have attracted encouraging demand from customers nationwide.

Dodol Tok Bri now has agents across the country and has also received orders from customers in the United Kingdom, Singapore and Indonesia.

-- BERNAMA