KUALA LUMPUR: Every Sunday morning, the atmosphere of an area in Pantai Dalam here is almost similar to the state of Cik Siti Wan Kembang with traders chatting in distinctive Kelantanese Malay dialect, even though the state is situated over 400 kilometres away.
Just name any Kelantan delicacies that you want, you will definitely get them at Pasar Pagi Kelantan near the Pantai Dalam Komuter station, either brought directly from the state or made fresh locally.
From various kuih-muih like peria, tapai, ketupat and lompat tikam to fresh vegetables such as ulam-ulaman, solok lada and cucumber, the market also offers a variety of famous breakfast food like nasi berlauk and nasi dagang.
Street food lovers will get to enjoy etak salai and fish satay or popularly known as lokcing while browsing and shopping at the market which is open from 7am.
Etak salai seller, Hazren Hazim, 27, said the freshwater clams were brought here all the way from Kelantan by an express bus a day earlier to be processed by a friend in Shah Alam.
The site supervisor, who has been selling etak salai as a side job for a year, said the demand was so high that he is able to sell around 30 kilogrammes each time, at a price of RM5 per pack.
“The majority of the buyers are Kelantanese. In less than three hours, etak in various flavours such as tomyam, lemak manis and original were sold out. Maybe it is hard to get them at other places, that’s why they were selling like hot cakes here,” he said.
A kuih seller, Latipah Jaafar, 53, who is one of the earliest traders at Pasar Pagi Kelantan, said the market has existed since the 1990s and was founded by Kelantan folks who migrated to the federal capital.
“At that time, it was difficult to find goods from Kelantan here, so some of them took the initiative to sell some products on the sidewalks like morning market traders in the state.
“Over time, it became popular and the number of sellers also increased. Even though we had to move several times due to development in the area, we are still known as Pasar Pagi Kelantan everywhere we go,” said Latipah, who lives near the Pantai Ria People’s Housing Project.
Another trader, Yusri Yahya, 42, said there were about 20 to 30 Kelantanese traders at the market and most of them were looking for a side income despite having permanent jobs.
“We hope this place will remain as a location for people from the East Coast to find a source of income. Moreover, it has become a popular spot among the surrounding community,” he said, adding that they will conduct communal work to clean the area, through the collection of RM2 from each trader. – BERNAMA
