Entrepreneur Day is all about showing students of KISE the ins and outs of running a business; from making ‘kuih buah tanjung’ to participating in the selling and buying process, they experienced it all. This memorable day was made special by our collaboration with Murtabak Raja Nik Yea in Kota Bharu!
As a little background, Murtabak Nik Yea is a family business that has been passed down for three generations. They sell a variety of classic Malaysian foods, both ready-to-eat and frozen. Among the long list of their options are Murtabak Raja (of course), kuih buah tanjung, jala mas, kuih tahi itik, akok and so many more.
For today’s Entrepreneur Day, the students learned how to make kuih buah tanjung from Kak Nik, who has been making it since 1992! She learned it from her mother who learned it from her mother. This dessert is made with very simple ingredients; egg yolks mixed with rice flour into a thick batter. The batter is slowly dropped into a boiling sugar solution in small teardrop shapes and then cooked for a few minutes. After that, they’re cooled down in another less concentrated sugar solution with pandan leaves for extra fragrance.
The students and teachers were surprised by the speed that Kak Nik was able to make kuih buah tanjung because it is certainly harder than it looks! Rather than looking like buah tanjung, a lot of the ones the students did came out looking more like cendol. Despite their obvious inexperience, the students were excited to try making it themselves, especially due to their unfamiliarity with the traditional dessert.
Aside from making and tasting kuih buah tanjung, the students also learned a little bit about this family business. The second half of the program was the buying and selling process. Each student had a list of things to buy from their parents and was given a budget to spend. They explored everything in the shop to find what they needed as well as some sweets for themselves. Meanwhile, a few of their friends stood at the counter to help the cashier.
It was bustling inside of that shop! Aside from our students — each of which buying an average of three items — there were also a lot of customers from the local area. Witnessing how many people come and go to this local shop, it reminds us of the importance of family businesses as a staple in the community.
Furthermore, their dedication to making sure Malay traditional desserts are passed down to the younger generation is very admirable. While the business is family-oriented, they also offer classes to teach young adults how to make them. Truly, this family strives to serve their community.
Hopefully, this experience inspires the right students to pursue entrepreneurship in the future. In Islam, a good business is one that is halal and beneficial to everyone around them. Therefore, entrepreneurship with the purpose of the betterment of society is a sunnah of Prophet Muhammad SAW and encouraged.