The “Ayam Pasu” stall run by Mawarni (right) and her husband Rozaidi offers a unique take on oven-roasted chicken.
Traders and visitors alike seem to have an extra spring in their steps at the Ramadan bazaar in Laman Niaga Komuniti Bandar Baru Bangi, Kajang.
The punchy beats of a cajon and djembe by Al-Aswad, a local three-man musical group who plays there daily from 5pm to 6.45pm, could be the reason for this.
This spacious bazaar offers several well-known local favourites too.
It is sandwiched between two huge parking lots which can accommodate up to 500 cars.
One of the first sights to greet visitors near the entrance is a pulut udang stall run by Fakrul Anwar Ahmad, who is also the representative for the bazaar’s 77 traders.
He describes himself as the liaison between the traders and Kajang Municipal Council.
In addition to grilling rolls of his savoury glutinous rice, he can also answer queries on the bazaar’s operational procedures and the types of food available.
Fakrul’s stall is a continuation of the business founded by his mother Zainab Ahmad.
His son, Khairul Ikhwan, has also joined the family business.
They have a central kitchen in Semenyih and they sell their food mostly at night markets.
Each rice roll is priced at RM1.50. There are two fillings –shrimp and fish.
“We can sell up to 1,000 pieces a day for our pulut udang alone,” said Fakrul.
The “Ayam Pasu” stall run by Mawarni Che Omar and her husband, Rozaidi Zainal Abidin, offer a unique take on oven-roasted chicken.
Shafirah (right) at her family-run “Roti John Hafiz” stall selling murtabak and roti john.
Priced at RM25 each, it features a whole butterflied chicken placed atop a grill resting on the rims of a charcoal-heated ceramic pot which is allowed to cook under a ceramic cover.
Marwani, a night market trader, said she only sells this ceramic pot-roasted chicken during the fasting month and has been doing so for the past six years.
“I got the idea from my husband. We were on holiday in Port Dickson when we saw a trader selling this dish by the roadside near Teluk Kemang.
“The first thing we did was to buy and try it.
Siti Hajar (right), seen here with her daughter-in-law Fatin Nazira Ahmad Hasbullah, attracts much attention with her delicious-looking fruit jelly puddings and burnt caramel pies.
“It took a year before we perfected the formula for the marinade,” said Marwani, adding that they can sell up to 60 chickens a day at the bazaar.
Over at a murtabak and roti john stall, Shafirah Yuliadi said her father found his winning recipe while working at a different murtabak stall when her brother Hafiz was only a year old.
It is no surprise that the family business is known as “Roti John Hafiz”.
“The secret behind our murtabak and roti john lies in the filling.
“We cook the minced beef and chicken using our own recipe,” said Shafirah.
The family can sell up to 700 pieces of murtabak and 200 pieces of roti john daily.
Prices range from RM5 to RM7 per piece.
Nor Mazura is on a mission to quench customers’ thirst at her air balang stall.
For desserts, look for the stall called Sweet Craving Puding by Mak Siti.
A sweet corn seller based at Jalan Reko, Siti Hajar Kadri, has managed to attract much attention with her fruit jelly puddings and burnt caramel pies.
Priced between RM4 and RM6 per slice, Siti Hajar only sells her eye-catching confections during the fasting month and has been doing so for over 10 years.
“After a long day of fasting, people tend to look for something sweet,” she said.
Her star product is the chocolate creme caramel pie.
Al-Aswad is a local three-man musical group that performs at the Ramadan bazaar daily, from 5pm to 6.45pm.
On a mission to quench customers’ thirst is air balang trader Nor Mazura Idris.
“The water I use comes from a South Korean-branded filter.
“I fill the containers at home and do the mixing when I arrive at the site, to ensure quality.
“This is so that the drinks don’t become too diluted as the ice melts,” she added.
Nor Mazura offers up to six different flavours, but the most popular is her sea coconut drink which is priced at RM5 for a two-litre bag.
“On a normal day at my shop at Section 9 in Bandar Baru Bangi, I can sell up to 240 litres of drinks in varying flavours.
“For the fasting month, sales increase by 50%.
“My mother, who is also a trader in Kelantan, is my biggest inspiration.
“She is the one who gives me all the ideas for my drink concoctions,” she said.
Formerly a petrol pump attendant, Nor Mazura started selling air balang five years ago and has not looked back since.
