BUKIT MERTAJAM – What takes less than five minutes to eat takes a dodol maker hours over a wood fire to produce.
The chewy and caramel-like sweet treat is a Hari Raya staple, often served to family members, friends, and guests. But cooking dodol takes a long time.
Zamri Zulaiman, 49, takes pride in his dodol-making process – continuously stirring the sweet in a wok over firewood – that has remained unchanged since he started the business 24 years ago.
The Tok Nah dodol brand, which he owns, is named after his 82-year-old mother Aznah Hamid, and he follows his parents’ recipe to the tee.
“In the past, neighbours and friends loved the delicious dodol made by my parents every Raya. So I thought, why don’t I set up a business so the sweet treat can be enjoyed by others?
“It’s a tiring job, especially this year, as I received an unusually high amount of orders. Sadly, I had to reject some of the orders.
“To meet customer demand, I cook dodol every day for 24 hours, with four shifts and assisted by more than 20 staffers,” he said when met at Kg Simpang Tiga here recently.
The father of four children is also grateful for the support from his family and villagers who help him run the business.
With orders for more than 10,000kg for Hari Raya this year, Zamri said, the experience of working for 15 years in the production division of an electronics factory has helped him manage his daily dodol production.
He added that the dodol is made with glutinous rice flour made by the local villagers, and that he avoids using preservatives in his end product.
“My intention in starting the business was to help the community because I was driven by the philosophy of Henry Ford, who started the Ford brand to provide employment opportunities.”
Now, Zamri has 149 agents helping to sell his products with prices varying between RM18 and RM25 per 500g.
Production also continues after Raya as he has customers who order dodol for gifts and souvenirs, especially for weddings.
“I stick to my father’s words – always maintain quality, and feed customers what we want to eat.” – The Vibes, May 1, 2022
