Clean Water Fuels Kampung Gintong's Ancestral Tradition

Curious about the activity, we were told the villagers were mengemping padi (flaking paddy) - a long-standing tradition passed down through generations, carried out every paddy harvesting season.

Emping paddy is a type of traditional snack, perhaps unfamiliar to today’s younger generation. It is made from young or semi-mature rice grains and typically served as an afternoon treat.

For the residents of Kampung Gintong, located about 21 kilometres from the town of Jerantut, the mengemping tradition is a much-anticipated event, especially among the older generation. It’s a time for communal cooperation to produce this delicacy, while also strengthening social bonds.

Beyond that, side activities are also held to attract the younger crowd and children, such as fishing competitions in irrigation canals, traditional games, and mud play in the paddy fields.

Luck was on our side - participants of the 2025 Water Source Expedition (EKSAN) to the Pahang River Basin organised by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) - as we happened to witness a fading cultural heritage activity of the Malay farming community.

 

Every year, when the harvesting season arrives between May and July, housewife Hariani Zakaria, 62, never misses the chance to continue the tradition of making emping using rice harvested from about 200 hectares of paddy fields, the village’s main source of income.

She said the flaking activity is a must and is carried out communally by the villagers after the harvest, especially when there are visitors such as school or corporate groups, adding to the village’s tourism appeal.

"Emping is considered a special treat, made from young rice grains that are finely pounded and usually enjoyed as an afternoon snack or served to guests.

“The process begins with soaking the freshly harvested rice for one to two days, with the water changed daily to keep it fresh before frying.

“The rice is then stirred continuously in a hot wok until it pops and dries completely, before being transferred to a mortar for pounding,” she explained.

Hariani, fondly known as Kak Long, added that a special type of foot-operated mortar (lesung indik or lesung kaki) is used, where several men stomp in unison to flatten the rice into emping.

“From sowing the rice seeds to frying, women are mainly involved. But during the flattening process, the men take over, stomping on the mortar from the back.

“While the mortar is being stomped rhythmically, I use a split bamboo spatula called a pencuas to stir the rice. The pencuas user must be skilled to match the rhythm so it doesn’t clash with the pestle.

“The pounding must be done carefully and in harmony to ensure a smooth process until the rice becomes flat and its husk separates from the grain,” she said.

The husked emping is then placed into a winnowing tray (nyiru) to be tossed and sifted to remove the husks.

“It can be served according to personal preference. I usually make two versions—one mixed with coconut milk syrup cooked with palm sugar, and a dry version mixed with freshly grated young coconut and sugar.

“This cooking and eating tradition might seem foreign to today’s youth, but once they try emping, it tastes just like eating oat cereal,” she said.

Kak Long's words rang true when the writer tasted emping for the first time—it resembled cereal and was delicious when mixed with grated coconut and gula melaka.

 

Kampung Gintong’s Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK) Chairman, Shahrulwizam Harun, said the mengemping activity has now become an annual event to attract visitors from within and outside the district to witness the process and introduce the tradition to the younger generation.

“It should be developed as an eco-tourism product in Kampung Gintong because it not only promotes this ancestral tradition to tourists, but also allows them to experience village life and community spirit.

“In fact, the villagers created a special lesung indik specifically for the village 15 years ago, made from keranji tree wood, and used during large-scale mengemping events,” he said.

He added that Kampung Gintong’s location beside the Pahang River is strategic for agriculture, particularly rice farming, with an ample water supply channelled from the river via a dedicated pump house managed by JPS.

“Our irrigation system is connected to a pump house from the Pahang River and constantly monitored by JPS to ensure adequate and clean water supply for paddy fields, farming, and catfish aquaculture, especially during droughts,” he said.

The Paya Gintong Pump House, operated by JPS, serves as infrastructure to supply water to the Paya Gintong Irrigation Scheme, which spans 250 acres.

This electric pump, made of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), is used to supply water to the paddy fields through a 3.2 km-long concrete canal system.

Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Ocean Engineering Technology and Informatics, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Dr Mohd Sofiyan Sulaiman, said that aside from water levels, water pH (acidity or alkalinity), salinity, and heavy metal content are three critical factors that can affect rice yields.

“Too acidic pH, salty water, and heavy metals accumulating in the soil can reduce yields—commonly linked to water pollution, particularly during dry spells.

“JPS and the Department of Environment (DOE) usually monitor these three water quality factors by collecting composite samples from several locations along the river, at depths of at least 0.5 metres below the surface.

“pH readings are usually taken on-site using portable metres, as temperature changes can quickly affect the water’s pH level,” he said, adding that the ideal pH range for rice farming is between 5 and 9," he said. 

He added that one water quality issue affecting rice farming is sediment or suspended solids. However, one benefit of paddy fields near rivers is the use of rice husks to filter out sediment.

“Rice husks are alkaline, so when used as filters, they neutralise water pH while removing sediment,” he explained.

"The alkaline rice husk is placed along with small stones, functioning as a filter to neutralise the water's pH level by removing sediment.

"Usually, we burn the rice husk. It becomes charcoal-like and acts to filter out sediment, dirt, and other impurities.

 ”A multi-stage filtration system is needed in the canal before the water reaches the paddy fields, using rice husk as an effective filtering agent to trap sediment," he added.