Championing the rights of “Keropok Lekor”

Like all Malaysians, I love the abundance of local snacks that we can get for afternoon tea . At almost every corner in town, you can find a stall set up selling anything from fried banana coated in flour (pisang goreng), curry puffs (also fried), some traditional kueh-mueh, and my favourite, fried keropok lekor. Hm, no wonder Malaysia suffered a cooking oil shortage recently.

Keropok Lekor is a type of snack made from mostly fish (and some sago) that is mashed up into sausage-like shapes which will then be either fried as it is, or cut into thinner slices before frying to make them crispier. The best keropok lekor you can get will be from Terengganu where it has become a must for anyone visiting Terengganu to come back with bagfuls of fresh frozen un-fried keropok lekors.

Now, I live in KL, and since I can’t keep going to Terengganu to get keropok lekors, I tend to buy from stalls near my house or from the pasar malams. However, I usually end up disappointed because the taste and quality of the KL keropok lekors have been getting worse and worse. I whole-heartedly agree with the writer of an article in The Star newspaper, “Giving keropok a bad name”.

my concern is the keropok lekor sold in Kuala Lumpur that is passed off as keropok losong. It does not in any way resemble the real deal physically. How can it claim to taste like the real thing? These imitations are giving the Terengganu keropok industry a bad name. I once asked a keropok seller in Sungei Besi, Kuala Lumpur, where his keropok was from and he didn’t know. Some had the cheek to hang up “Keropok lekor Terengganu asli” labels at their stalls

I agree. The keropok lekor industry is a big money-maker. Some keropok sellers are too keen on money-making that they are giving the keropok lekor a bad name. Imagine a tourist, buying keropok lekor only to end up eating a poor imitation of the original keropok lekor terengganu. Imagine them writing their experience later in a blog saying that Malaysian fish sausage doesn’t taste like fish at all.

So, dear readers, and fellow keropok lekor lovers. Lets stand united, and only buy true original keropok lekors. If you had the sad experience of eating a poor imitation of keropok lekor, stop buying from the seller. Let’s show them that we have better taste and will not be fooled by their business tricks, and hope that these sellers will get the idea and stop selling poor tasting keropoks. Lets champion the rights of the original Keropok Lekor. (and the better tasting ones)

Be smart, buy original keropok lekor!

; )