SEREMBAN, Jan 31 — The Chinese New Year celebration is incomplete without the “kerepek Nga Gu” or arrowhead chips, which is among the staple snacks of the community during the festive season.
The popular Lunar New Year snack is a small-sized fruit, round in shape and seasonal stemmed root plant that can only be obtained during spring.
Nga Gu maker, Too Sau Moi, 51, said the delectable delight is a snack of choice in her house during the Chinese New Year, as it was easy to prepare and did not require additional seasoning while making it.
“Without the chips, something is amiss during the celebration. To make the chips, it’s a simple process.
“You only need two ingredients — Nga Gu and cooking oil. You do not need to add any flavouring or other ingredients like flour or curry powder. The thinly-sliced chips are then deep-fried to a light golden colour,” she said when met by Bernama at her house here today.
Too said she can produce up to seven jars of Nga Gu chips, which will be sold to neighbours and relatives at between RM15 and RM35 a bottle depending on the size.
Admitting that producing the chips is more synonymous with the older generation, Too, however, hopes the younger generation will be exposed to the making of traditional food recipes so that they do not disappear with the passing of time.
“The younger generation prefers to get ready-made cookies at shops or supermarkets. As the older generation, we must teach our children to how to make these snacks, so that it is not forgotten,” she added.
The mother of three said apart from Nga Gu chips, she also produces “kuih Loyang” or honeycomb cookies and so far, she has received 200 orders for the CNY celebration.
More interestingly, to produce kuih loyang, Too uses hereditary recipes from her ancestors by using an 80-year-old mould and added that the Chinese community considers the snack as a symbol of brotherhood and strong family ties.
“The round shape means togetherness. The Chinese community likes round-shape objects as it is associated with good signs and fortune,” she said.
Too said she is looking forward to celebrating and sharing the happiness of the Year of Tiger with her family since they could not meet for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. — Bernama
