Lessons from Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh

I attended an Ang Ku Kueh (AKK) lesson on 17/4/2022. I joined the lesson purely for fun and was curious about how to make AKK.

Apart from learning how to make AKK, Ji Xiang's boss also shared with my class how his family started this business and how they maintain and tried to expand his business.

I am very impressed by their business. The food business in Singapore is extremely competitive and cutthroat. Let alone able to survive for more than a generation. I have to say; that just surviving more than 10 years is already an achievement.

Apart from making AKK, these are the business lessons I learn from Ji Xiang AKK.

Starting out

Ji Xiang's boss shared with my class what and how his parents, the founders and first-generation boss of Ji Xiang, did in the beginning.

His father felt they had too much free time while at home and decided should make some AKK sell. His father will delegate the tasks among the family members. In short, no one was allowed to slack.

They made and managed to sell their AKK pretty well. So well that they tried to increase their production to the point they used their HDB flat’s corridor space for the ingredients. I can see that Ji Xiang's boss enjoys telling his family story. It must have brought fond memories.

Until the NEA officer came and told them they can’t do this.

The family saw their business was good, and despite the NEA officer telling them to stop, they find other means to do their business. They borrowed money from their relatives and set up a shop to sell their AKK.

Different Generation, Different Mentality

Ji Xiang's boss told us that his parents woke up at 2 am to come to the shop and start cooking. For certain fillings, they do not wish their employees to know the recipe. So they came much earlier to cook and get the fillings done. Once the employees reached and they can work on other processes.

To his parents, they believed the success of their business was based on the recipes. As such, they guarded the recipes closely. They worried that if employees would know the recipes, they can set up a rival shop and be a direct competitor against them.

Now, Ji Xiang's boss told us, they all come to work at 6 am. Nor do they care if anyone knows the recipes. In fact, the recipes were forced to change as the government told them to reduce the sugar content, an effort against the diabetics. Ji Xiang's boss is aware that his generation and the younger generation probably don’t want to set up a shop like his and sell AKK, or maybe any other kuehs. Long working hours and no air conditioner is already a huge hurdle for most people.

Making their work easier

Ji Xiang Boss showed us the production area, where the kuehs are made.

Ji Xiang AKK sold a lot of different flavors, which means they have to make different filings. Thus, they have to accommodate different cooking processes. For example, peanut fillings require peanuts to be ground finely while sambal fillings required some stir-frying.

Some ingredients can be ordered according to the specification they want, helping them reduce their workload. For example, they can order finely ground peanuts, instead of buying whole peanuts and ground them in the kitchen.

But some fillings have to cook on site. Coconut and sambal fillings need to make fresh daily as they spoil easily. Not only that, they have to make the dough, mold the kueh and steam them.

Ji Xiang's boss proudly presented to us the machinery they have. 

“The steamers we have now used much less gas compared to the traditional steamers we used at first.” He said proudly.

He then touched the lower part of the steamer to show us how safe and cool it is.

“These steamers only direct the steam and heat to the steamer basket above, making it energy efficient. While the traditional steamers will radiate heat around it, making the people working in this area perspire a lot and have to drink a lot of water.”

I am sure he worked in this area before and experienced the discomfort for a long period. I am sure he felt these steamers are worth every single penny.

He shared some other machinery too. A freezer that can go -40ᵒC, a wok that looks like a cement mixer, and the machinery that leaves the biggest impression on me is a banana leave cutter. Ji Xiang's boss shared that his father used to make a banana leafcutter that used a car jack. Now the banana leaf cutter uses a hydraulic instead.

The family squeezes their brain juice to find ways to increase efficiency.

Yet, not all problems can be solved by machines

Ji Xiang's boss did admit he did think of designing a machine or production line to make the AKK itself. After letting a heavy sigh, he explained, “Technically speaking, I believe it is achievable. But the R&D and the testing involved with this machine, I don’t think it is feasible.”

After I tried making the AKK, I understood the difficulties of making a presentable AKK. I have to take the oily pink dough, put it in the filling, shaped it in the appropriate shape, put it into the mold, shake the kueh out delicately, and put it into the steamer basket carefully.

The oily pink dough, unlike pasta dough, is very delicate, soft, and pliable. There is an advantage to this. If the kueh isn’t shaped satisfactorily, you can take it out and start all over again. But because the dough is so pliable and any small accidental touch on the kueh will easily deform it. Thus, wasting time and effort.

I am sure Ji Xiang’s boss and his family have thought of an idea to solve this problem. I am also sure they did consult some professional help. They probably found the drawback or the cost not feasible for them.

Production isn’t the only thing they have in mind. At first, Ji Xiang’s boss thought his parents were paranoid when they want to change the kueh mold. The old molds are wooden and the kueh will have a Chinese word imprinted on it. I can’t recall what word it is.

They changed the mold into a pink plastic with a 寿 instead. 寿 means longevity.

Turns out his parents' actions were justified. Ji Xiang’s boss found out that a nearby kueh seller lied to her customers that the AKKs she selling were from Ji Xiang.

Business is still good

Yet their business sales are still good. Of course, there are days they are unable to sell all their kuehs, what they did is that they gifted the rest to nearby shops. It is their policy to only sell their kuehs on the day it is made.

The shop is located at Bugis, and there is a lot of foot traffic. And the place where the lessons were conducted is open for everyone to see. While I was making the kuehs, I noticed there were a lot of curious passers-by who took a look at the shop, were interested in what is going on, interested in the different flavors available, etc.

Culture, once forgotten, is there a way to get it back?

Ji Xiang’s boss is planning to open his third shop somewhere. I am sure he was considering expanding his business not just to prosper. But also to ensure the meaning of AKK and certain Chinese cultures are not lost.

There is one special AKK, called Ka Ta Kueh. Ji Xiang’s Boss explained to us that these types of kuehs are made to celebrate a baby’s first birthday. These kuehs were used for Chinese gods’ offerings and later on, the baby will wear new shoes and step on the kuehs.

“Stepped on it, then cannot eat already ar?” I asked cheekily.

“Stepped already still can eat” Ji Xiang’s boss answered with a straight face. I think he means it.

I never heard of this culture until Ji Xiang’s boss told us. I wondered whether other countries like China and Taiwan still have this culture maintained. And also probes me to think, about what other cultures were forgotten over time, thanks to the result of government policies and technological advancement.

I guess he still put this on the menu to ensure this culture is still remembered in Singapore.

Reflections

I strongly believe that doing F&B business in Singapore is a Herculean task. To make it survive for many years deserved an award on its own.

Thanks to Ji Xiang’s boss sharing, his family overcome these challenges, not only with the creative usage of machinery. They too recognized there are other elements about F&B that isn’t just food itself. Ambiance the shop provides, the purpose of maintaining the culture before it becomes forgotten, and most important of all, enjoying what they like to do.

Although I didn’t get to see his smile, (we were masked up, thanks to Covid's safety measures), I can still feel that he enjoy this simple AKK making.

I also find it interesting enough that when it comes to technology, it always manages to disrupt the traditional businesses, making them obsolete, and thus, tradition is lost and forgotten.

In Ji Xiang’s case, they use technology to maintain this tradition and culture instead.