MUNCH THE MADE IN TAWAU TAPIOCA CHIPS

By Nashir Mansor

TAWAU (Malaysia), April 1 (Bernama) -- When one mentions tapioca chips, it
tend to bring the images of crispy and very thin slices of oval-shaped and
rubber band-sized tapioca crackers.

The tapioca chips of various flavours are usually oval in contour due to the
shape of the tapioca root as it is sliced into very thin pieces before being
dried and fried.

These tapioca chips are available in various packaging and brands in
supermarkets and stores nationwide and abroad.

However the 'made in Tawau' tapioca snack stand out among the various
attractively-packed chips as each piece of the snack is coated with red sugar.

The pieces of tapioca snack are also different from the other tapioca chips
in the way of its size and how they are made.

Tawau is the third largest town in the East Malaysian state of Sabah.

GRATED
The Tawau tapioca snack is made from grated tapioca. The pieces are square
in shape each measuring 20cm X 25cm (the size of an A4 paper) and about 0.4 mm
thin.

If one happens to be in Sabah and has the opportunity to travel the road
from Kota Kinabalu to districts in the state's east coast like Sandakan,
Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau, these made in Tawau tapioca
snack can be easily found at the roadside stalls.

This tapioca snack is also easily available in Sabah's 'cool' tourism spot,
Kundasang.

"This sugar-coated tapioca pieces are a snack inherited from our ancestors.

I started making them after the death of my husband as I have to support my
family and schooling of my youngest son", said Ruse Takang, a 59-year-old
tapioca chips maker from the Batu Payung village.

A LOT OF WORK
"Making the tapioca chips involves a lot of work. First the skin has to be
peeled off before the tapioca is cleaned. The tapioca is later grated and I use
an electric grater to do the work.

"The grated tapioca is then left in the refrigerator overnight", said Ruse.
Ruse, who used to make Amplang (fish) crackers, is among the six suppliers
of tapioca chips in her village.

After being left in the refrigerator overnight, the tapioca is then made
into dough like that of the roti canai before being placed on square-shaped
banana leaves.

Each of the dough is 'compressed' and kneaded until it is about 0.4 mm thin.

These thin slices of tapioca are then steamed before being dried under the
hot sun for two to three days.

STEAMED TAPIOCA
"The steamed tapioca must be dried immediately to avoid the growth of fungi.
If there is a delay of up to two days, then white spots would begin to appear on
the tapioca and it has to be discarded.

"Fifteen minutes are taken to make a piece of this tapioca chip, right from
the kneading up to the steaming stage", she said.

According to Ruse, when the dough pieces are really dry, then they could be
immersed in oil and fried before being coated with molten red sugar.

Then the tapioca chips are packed into air tight plastic packs to prevent
them from getting stale.

Ruse, aided by her son, began making these tapioca chips two years ago. They
started the business by making only 40 pieces of the snack.

Now due to the encouraging response, Ruse now makes about 300 pieces of this
tapioca snack.

MIDDLEMEN
"That also is not able to meet the demand as the middlemen would come every
week to get the tapioca snack.

"I sell a pack with three pieces of the snack inside at RM1.20" (about 35
cents)," she said.

Ruse said income from making this tapioca snack has helped her to support
the schooling of her youngest who obtained 4 As in the recently announced
Malaysian Certficate of Examination results for 2008.

However inflation has caused the cost of making the tapioca snack to rise.

"Before, the price of the plastic packs of size 35 cm X 45cm was only RM2.50
(70 cents) a kg but now it has jumped to RM8 a kg (US$2.20)", she said.
-- BERNAMA