KOTA KINABALU: Housewife Radziah Matarsad (pic) is on a mission to reintroduce traditional goodies from her Sabah Brunei community that have been forgotten over time.

       The goodies like crescent-shaped kuih kakara and kuih bakar pandan are making their way back into the public eye with state government investment arm Qhazanah Sabah Bhd (QSB) set to give her a helping hand.

       QSB subsidiary Kojasa Mart's retail outlets are helping the 40-year-old mother of seven to market her kuih kelupis with part of the income channelled back into research and development of “new” products such as kuih kakara.

       “As a child, I looked forward to Hari Raya and other celebrations when my mother and aunties would make these kuih.

       "Over the years I noticed these cakes seem to have been forgotten as I do not see them being served during festivities,” said Radziah on Monday (March 7).

       Her efforts to revive these goodies include gathering as many versions of the recipe as possible from her elderly aunts, trying them out and finding the best way to package them for sale.

       “There’s a lot of work before it can become commercially available but I’m hoping these unique kuih will be successful,” said Radziah, whose frozen products are being marketed under the brand ZieaH.

       Sharing her aspirations was Kojasa Mart general manager Grace Prudente, who said the chain was on the lookout for unique products from Sabah-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that can be sold at its stores.

       “For example, some people are producing fried tempe (fermented soya bean pieces) as snacks, but we are looking for those who go the extra mile to make their products stand out, for example cheese or salted egg variants,” she added.

       Grace said products from more than 20 Sabahan SMEs were currently being sold at Kojasa Mart outlets including frozen items such as Radziah’s mini kelupis as well as curry puffs, popiah or spring rolls, and beef rendang.

       “We intend to add more local products as business at our outlets grows,” she said, adding that part of Kojasa Mart’s mission was creating business opportunities for Sabah SMEs.