The famous keropok lekor

“The belly rules the mind” – Spanish proverb

Exploring the quiet roads and suburbs of Kuala Terengganu will take one to the route of Losong – where the famous keropok lekor (traditional fish snacks) cottage industry is at. Some of the most popular keropok lekor stalls in Losong are usually out of stock for the day as these savoury crackers are snapped up by regular customers before noon.

A state 'heritage'

One of the many – Gerai Keropok Warisan Losong, owned by Suhaimi Ali, fondly known as Abang Mie was opened way back in 1983. Like many others in the area, he started the keropok lekor business via the traditional methods; no machinery, no technology.

From the frozen keropok, made of butter or margarine, eggs and flour to the dry ones made of starch and sagu flour, the demands for the keropok in Gerai Keropok Warisan Losong during the recent Chinese New Year has gone up to 1 tonne and they even cater for functions and weddings.

Crispy Keropok Lekor

Rolling the dough

According to Abang Mie, the keropok lekor, if kept chilled, can last up until 2 weeks, and all one needs to do is just boil them again to get the crispy factor.

When questioned on why certain keropok causes allergic reactions like itchiness and sore throat, Abang Mie said it’s because of stale fish used in the ingredients – “Some keropok lekor makers just resort to using stale fish as they are much cheaper; but I believe in giving the best for the customers – it’s the reason why they keep coming back to buy from us”.

And as a very ‘sensitive’ person, I can vouch for the freshness of the keropok – no itchiness afterwards, and the crisp is maintained all through the 8 hours of our journey back to KL!

Maintaining the freshness

Keeping them crisp