Royal treats: Tunku Azizah's prison cookies in high demand

KUALA LUMPUR - The prowess and agility of the Tengku Ampuan Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah in the kitchen not only attract the public attention, but also get many people looking forward to videos of her in action.

So, it is not surprising that every time a video is uploaded on social media, it gets a positive response from netizens.

The latest one was about Her Majesty passing down the recipes for seven types of cakes and cookies at the Bentong Prison, Pahang last Wednesday.

Despite the cookies made in prison, many people don't mind getting them, even though they cost more, as the ingredients used to make them are premium and high-quality, because they are Tunku Azizah’s own recipes.

In fact, since the beginning of Ramadan, the prison has become a focus not only among the local community in this Tok Gajah’s state, but also people from outside the state, to get various types of cookies and cakes, as well as "asam pedas” paste and rendang betawi for the coming Aidilfiri celebration.

The women inmates in the prison indeed have their hands full meeting the demand, especially for the Mazola and Arab cookies, Bentong Prison Superintendent Mohd Zulkifli Zakaria told Bernama.

"The high demand is because people want to taste made from Her Majesty’s recipes, there are recipes from the palace. Although the price is a bit ‘high', we have many regular customers ordering them to be given away as souvenirs at celebrations” he said, adding that the cookies are not only made for Hari Raya, but throughout the year.

He told this to reporters when met at a Malaysian Prisons Department's event at the Banquet Hall of the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya recently.

He said the Bentong Prison started to become a focus among those who want to get Raya cookies after Tunku Azizah consented to share her recipes for 12 types of cookies with the inmates there in 2018.

They are the recipes for Mazzola biscuits, Arabic biscuits, custard biscuits, milo biscuits, Scottish shortbread biscuits, coconut biscuits, samperit, cornflakes biscuits, melting moments, almond biscuits, chocolate crinkle biscuits and Anzac’s biscuits.

He said the cookies produced from the prison are certified halal by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).

"Tunku Azizah, who is also the Royal Patron of the Prison Department’s Arts and Crafts also passes down her culinary knowledge, especially in pastry making to some selected female prisoners,” he added.

Regarding the "asam pedas” paste and "Rendang Betawi”, Mohd Zulkifli said the products can only be purchased at Bentong Prison’s My Pride sales gallery and the Malaysian Prison Department Cooperative.

"That is why the products sell like hotcakes at this event,” he said.

Civil servant Noraini Junid, who was met at the event, said she took the opportunity to buy the Raya cookies and the asam pedas paste to have a taste of Tunku Azizah’s recipes.

Her friend, who requested to be identified only as Azwa, said she bought the cookies and paste as a gift for her mother. - BERNAMA