MIRI: Demand for lemang in Kampung Pujut Tanjung Batu continues to increase ahead of Aidilfitri, making the area a focal point for residents of Miri as well as customers from Brunei.

Lemang is a traditional food made from glutinous rice, coconut milk, and salt, cooked in a hollowed bamboo tube coated with banana leaves, popular during Hari Raya.

Operator of Lemang Pak Mail, Murni Ismail, said the lemang produced there has become a preferred choice because of its rich taste and the care taken to ensure it is cooked perfectly.

Although the cost of raw ingredients such as coconut milk and glutinous rice has increased, she has maintained the selling price at between RM20 and RM25 depending on the size.

According to her, sales run from morning until night, with most customers making their purchases at the last minute as 1 Syawal approaches.

As of this afternoon, around 200 sticks of lemang had been sold, and demand is expected to continue rising.

Murni, who is assisted by family members, has been running the business for more than 20 years using a recipe inherited from her father.

She also ensures customer satisfaction, including accepting returns if the lemang is not sufficiently cooked.

Meanwhile, the operator of Lemang Pak Den, Mohamad Bakri Abdullah, said he had no choice but to raise prices following the increase in the cost of raw materials.

He explained that a shortage of bamboo supply due to flooding has caused prices to rise, in addition to an increase in the cost of glutinous rice and coconut milk of about RM2 to RM3.

Bamboo tubes are now sourced from Bakong at RM3 per segment, which has affected production costs and resulted in orders being limited to 250 segments compared with 500 previously.

He said lemang is sold at RM25 for size L for Large and RM30 for size XL for Extra Large, but quality remains the priority to ensure customer satisfaction. -UKASnews

Translator: Uilson Ng