Sambal Hitam - Most Popular Product By Smes At Madani Rakyat Programme

KUANTAN, July 6 (Bernama) -- “Sambal Hitam”, a traditional menu synonymous with Pahang, is not only popular among the local community but is now becoming a favourite choice among “sambal” lovers all over the country.

 Often eaten with rice as an appetizer, many people do not know that the taste of  “sambal hitam” produced in the state differs according to district. The taste differs depending on the cooking technique and the selection of ingredients.

 The three-day MADANI Rakyat  (PMR) Programme at Dataran Sayangi Kuantan which started yesterday provides an opportunity for “sambal” lovers to taste the difference between the various “sambal hitam” in Pahang with the products from the various districts available under one roof.

Fans of this unique Pahang food do not need to travel far or go from one district to another to taste the different sambal hitam in the state.

Sambal hitam, which is a mixture of anchovies and “belimbing buluh”,  or Averrhoa bilimbi, pounded together into a paste, is promoted at most of the sales booths at the PMR programme.

Manager of Tokey Sambal Hitam Trading, Khairril Adhzaha Awahab said that visitors at the PMR programme can try the various versions of the Pahang’s “sambal hitam” produced by the respective districts.

“Sambal hitam originates from western Pahang such as Bentong, Raub, Jerantut, Temerloh and Maran, with a slight difference in the cooking method.

"For us in Bentong, the paste is not dry like those made in other districts. The taste also varies. Some are more spicy or hot and sour," he told Bernama.

Khairril Adhzaha said his company produced two versions of “sambal hitam”, with one more spicy than the other, and also other types of “sambal”, like sambal tempoyak, sambal penyet, sambal tempeh and sambal bilis.

There are some innovative producers of these “sambal hitam”, like the Tok Cik Enterprise, who replace the use of anchovies with “ikan perkasam” (pickled fish).

 "We sell sambal hitam and also the ikan perkasam. In the making of sambal hitam, we also use ‘belimbing buluh’ as the main ingredient, only that we also use pickled fish, instead of anchovies, in one of our sambal hitam products,” Norida Nong, who is the manager.

The 51-year-old woman from Raub said her products are now sold in Sabah and Sarawak through the e-Dagang platform.

The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is bringing the products to the United Kingdom soon, she said.

 A sambal hitam entrepreneur from Maran, Hafiz Yusoff, said he used traditional recipes and also conducted research and development (R&D) to make his product, with the brand name “Khadifeez” different.

"We can add more anchovies, onions and so on, but it is important to maintain its originality. Although we don't produce many varieties of the sambal hitam, the customer feedback for the product is very encouraging," he said.

The East Zone MADANI Rakyat Programme also features products by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from Kelantan and Terengganu.

-- BERNAMA