IPOH, April 25 -- Nearly five decades after losing her husband, Bakiah Omar still stands at the heart of her kitchen, her legacy simmering slowly in pots of rich, caramelised dodol.

Now 89, the soft-spoken woman fondly known as Chik Ah has turned what began as a means of survival into a symbol of perseverance, raising 10 children on the strength of Dodol Lemak Manis Memikat Chik Ah, a treasured traditional recipe she has guarded since 1975.

Widowed in 1979 following the passing of her husband, Mohd Salleh Abdullah, Bakiah was left to shoulder the burden of a large family alone. In those early years, survival meant taking on whatever work she could find.

"After my husband passed away, I had many children to care for. I earned a living p...