1. Leonard Oh is third-generation owner of Swee Len Food Industries in Batang Kali, Selangor.
The quiet village of Kampung Bukit Chandang, Batang Kali, boasts two popular crackers, sesame ‘Mua Lao’ and rice crispy ‘Lao Huei’.
2. traditional stove
Manufactured since 1923 by Oh Swee Len, now Swee Len Food Industries, the business is now managed by Leonard Oh and his wife. Leonard is the third-generation who returned from a cushy job in Singapore to take over the business from his father.
3. a worker stirs the glutinous rice mixture for two hours non-stop
The manufacturing of these crackers are all still done manually in the traditional way. This is one of the reasons these crackers are so popular – they have managed to retain their authentic tastes after all these years.
4. cubes of glutinous rice are being sun-dried
‘Mua Lao’ and ‘Lao Huei’ are actually crackers that make part of the gift package from the groom to his bride. In turn, the parents of the bride give out these crackers to relatives and friends to announce the marriage of their daughter.
5. other ingredients being sun-dried
Sounds complex, doesn’t it? Apparently, this is only a tradition for the Fujian clan. However, today, these crackers have moved beyond wedding tradition and have become an everyday snack.
6. traditionally a wedding snack, this is a rice crispy called ‘Lao Huei’
And so, Leonard is planning to set up a factory to handle the demand for them. Which also means, the traditional taste will end with that. As the saying goes, one must move with the times.
7. ‘Lao Huei’ along with ‘Mua Lao’ (sesame cracker) and other biscuits are packaged as part of a traditional wedding gift by the groom to the bride’s family to be given out to their relatives to announce their daughter’s marriage
Oh Swee Len / Swee Len Food Industries
Ad: 65, Kampung Bukit Chandang, 44300 Batang Kali, Selangor.
Tel: +603-60572634
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2 Comments
At May 28, 2016, Miera Nadhirah wrote:
Wow.. Never know how they had this made.. And now I know it from you... Brilliant.. Thanks for the piece of knowledge
At May 28, 2016, sherry wrote:
wow.. so this is how they make it. Hehe.. good thing you can go in to see.