Late Nights And Sweet Traditions: A Baker's Raya Rush

By Mohd Zaid Mohd Noor

CHUKAI, March 17 (Bernama) -- The scent of butter and caramel lingers in the air long after midnight in Kampung Gong Pauh, as preparations for Hari Raya Aidilfitri gather pace.

Inside a modest home kitchen, Aminah Akmarina Osman, 40, and her small team work against the clock, filling jar after jar with freshly baked biscuits destined for festive tables across Malaysia.

As Ramadan draws to a close, the demand has been relentless. For many households, time is scarce, and ordering ready-made treats has become the norm. For Aminah, that means longer hours and growing expectations.

Most of her orders arrive well before the fasting month begins, and customers are eager to secure their festive staples early. This year, the rush has been even more pronounced.

“Demands are rising because while customers are looking for some modern variations of the Raya biscuits, they still want the familiar traditional flavours,” she said in a recent interview with Bernama.

That shift is reflected in her menu, where classic pineapple tarts and “sarang semut” sit alongside modern creations such as Dark Salted Caramel, Red Velvet, Kunafa Pistachio and Lotus Biscoff biscuits.

To date, she has received orders exceeding 6,000 jars, up from 4,000 last year. Demand extends beyond Terengganu, with customers from Pahang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Sabah also placing orders.

Aminah said, by day, production runs steadily from morning until late afternoon, but as Aidilfitri approaches, the rhythm changes.

“Ovens stay on through the night, and in the final stretch, work often continues until 3 am,” she said.

Aminah, a former employee in the oil and gas sector, did not begin her journey in baking.

Since starting the business in 2020, she has relied on online tutorials and her own trial-and-error to refine recipes, constantly adjusting textures, flavours and presentation to meet rising expectations.

Each jar, priced between RM23 and RM45, carries not just biscuits but the quiet assurance of celebration, something to offer guests who will soon arrive in open houses across the country.

When the festive season ends, the pace slows. Aminah turns to other orders - cakes, noodles and rice dishes - until the cycle begins again.

But for now, in the final nights of Ramadan, sleep comes second.

The priority is clear: ensuring that when Hari Raya morning arrives, every table is filled, and every guest is welcomed with something sweet.

-- BERNAMA