While it is enjoyed year-round, ketupat is a staple during Hari Raya. And one place that has been serving variations of this traditional favourite for close to 20 years now is Warung Ketupat Yan in Kuala Selangor.
This humble yet lively establishment is run by Azian Mahmud, or Kak Yan, as she is popularly known.
“When I started, I didn’t make that much ketupat. But customers started to order it and seemed to enjoy it. They would remember my ketupat and keep returning to my stall,” the 65-year-old said with a laugh.
Kak Yan has long been adept at making this dish, having learnt it from her mother as a young girl. Her agile hands can finish weaving a ketupat wrapping in just over a minute – and yes, FMT Lifestyle timed it!
At Warung Ketupat Yan, you can get your fill of ketupat ketam, ketupat kerbau, ketupat telur and ketupat sate. The bestseller, though, is her ketupat pasar, which she sells at RM1 apiece.
Kak Yan rises at about 4am daily to start preparing dishes for her stall. On Mondays to Thursdays, she prepares around 400 pieces of ketupat; on Fridays and the weekend, the number rises to almost 1,000.
She currently runs her business with a number of helpers, including a relative who helps make roti canai. Warung Ketupat Yan also offers various Malay favourites including curries and kuih.
The warung opens just before 7am and closes at around 10pm. The morning hours are usually focused on ketupat – which can sell out by noon – while nighttime sees the focus shift to satay.
According to Kak Yan, when she first began, the business was the size of a burger stall. Over time it has expanded; now, it occupies a wide, comfortable compound that can seat about 100 people.
“We have people coming from Kuala Lumpur or Klang just to be here. There were even a few times we had visitors from London. They were visiting relatives in the area and decided to visit us,” she recalled.
Visit in the late morning and one will find the place alive with chatter, with regulars catching up and enjoying breakfast. In one corner, many of Kak Yan’s relatives gather, chatting animatedly as they wrap ketupat together.
For Kak Yan, there is simply something wonderful about ketupat, a dish that resonates with today’s customers despite being considered a traditional food.
“I tried doing something different once: selling nasi impit, in plastic. The customers didn’t want it. They want the traditional ketupat, with the traditional wrapping and the familiar aroma.”
Ketupat, after all, is enjoyed with such abandon during festive celebrations and associated with nostalgia and happy times with loved ones, she pointed out.
Ironically, the only time you won’t be able to get ketupat from Kak Yan’s stall is during Ramadan and Raya, as she closes shop for a well-deserved rest before and during the festivities.
And while she looks forward to welcoming one and all to her warung after the holidays, this doesn’t mean she’ll be sitting idle in the meantime. She still accepts orders in her personal capacity, often to the tune of hundreds of ketupat!
As for the future, Kak Yan simply hopes business will continue to be brisk. While times can be challenging, she takes joy from knowing that many are enjoying her food.
“We Malays have always loved our ketupat. And here, we sell it all the time. You could say it’s like Hari Raya for me every day,” she concluded with a laugh.
Warung Ketupat Yan
2E-483, Kampung Permatang,
45000 Kuala Selangor,
Selangor
Business hours: 7am-10pm daily (after Ramadan and Hari Raya)