Plus-sized murtabak draws the crowd

KOTA BARU: A stall selling its very own king-sized murtabak – aptly named the “Royal Murtabak” – has been the focus of many during the fasting month here.

A long line of people is seen crowding the stall hours before the breaking of fast every day to buy the plus-sized delicacies.

Hawker Nik Faizah Nik Ab Rahman, 53, has been making and selling the extra big murtabak since 1995.

“I learned how to make murtabak from my mother who named it the Royal Murtabak,” she said.

Her mother had named the delicacy – dough wrapped in meat – the Royal Murtabak in the 1970s after the then Sultan of Kelantan Al-Marhum Tuanku Yahya Petra suggested it to her when dining at her stall.

Nik Faizah, who has three children, began learning the art of making the jumbo-sized murtabak at the age of 15.

Later, she took over her mother’s stall along Jalan Merbau here and made it a speciality for those breaking fast.

Sold at RM11 per piece, the response is so good, thanks to the double chunks of pastry and meat, rolled in with eggs, a secret recipe of spices, and a large serving of onions which her customers love.

Nik Faizah said that during the non-fasting period, she sells about 80 pieces daily but once Ramadan begins, sale of the delicacy would increase to 300 pieces daily.