PETALING JAYA: There are several dishes that define Hari Raya – lemang, ketupat and, of course, rendang.
But for Nora’shah Ibrahim and her family in Kuala Kangsar, rendang is more than just a Raya tradition: it’s also how she keeps her late mother’s legacy alive.
The family runs a business, Rendang Tok Yoep, using a recipe inherited from her late mother, Faezah Wan Maimunah.
“My mother loved to cook, but she never allowed us to. I used to sit on the stairs and watch her. I always wanted to learn from her,” Nora’shah, better known as Kak Cik, shared with FMT Lifestyle.
After Kak Cik got married, her husband, Ahmad Rosly Abdul Aziz, fell in love with her mother’s cooking, too. So, her mother passed down her recipes to her daughter – including that of her famous rendang tok, a dry beef rendang with rich flavours.
Kak Cik’s foray into entrepreneurship started with her desire to ensure her ageing parents were financially well off.
“I wanted to give them money I earned myself, not my husband’s money,” the 62-year-old said, adding that her husband worked as an engineer back then.
About 15 years ago, she began selling chips, or what most Malaysians know as kerepek. Later, she started Rendang Tok Yoep with her husband who, by then, had quit his job to become a full-time entrepreneur.
Her husband added his touch to the recipe, and it didn’t take long for customers to fall in love with their version of beef rendang.
Keeping the wood fires burning
The couple have been blessed with two sons and a daughter. Their second son, Ahmad Zulhusmi Ahmad Rosly, studied to be an engineer just like his dad. But after completing his course, he joined the family business instead.
“I’ve always watched my parents cooking and packing. When I started helping them, I found it fun and I developed an interest in it, too,” said Zulhusmi, now the operations manager of Rendang Tok Yoep.
Seeing opportunities to grow the business, he introduced frozen rendang, which helped expand their reach to other areas such as the Klang Valley.
As demand grew, his siblings joined the company as well and, together, they grew the business even further. Today, Rendang Tok Yoep also sells chicken, mutton and lamb shank rendang.
Although selling frozen rendang helped increase their customer base, they later discovered an even better option: retort packaging.
This is when food is sealed in a pouch and heated to extremely high temperatures. This packaging allows customers to enjoy ready-to-eat rendang without having to heat it up.
What’s even better is that with retort packaging, the rendang can last up to two years.
Additionally, this enterprising family has opened a restaurant, Rumah Makan Rendang Tok Yoep, in town, serving nasi lemak, lempeng (pancakes) and, of course, rendang.
Today, their business is on solid ground, with customers from as far as Singapore and Brunei.
“It was my mother who first gave me the recipe, so if people say it’s delicious, it’s because of her,” Kak Cik noted.
And delicious it certainly is. The meat is tender with a smoky flavour, having been simmered with a rich blend of spices over a wood fire for approximately four hours.
Cooking rendang has clearly brought this family closer, and Zulhusmi hopes the same for their customers as well.
“Rendang tok is something the whole family can enjoy with lemang and such. So, hopefully, it can strengthen relationships among loved ones,” he concluded. - FMT
Follow Rendang Tok Yoep on Facebook and Instagram.
Rumah Makan Rendang Tok Yoep
134, Jalan Taiping,
Kampung Raja Chulan,
33000 Kuala Kangsar, Perak
Business hours: 8am-4pm (closed on Wednesdays and during Raya)
Contact: 013-472 7775
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