Pau dumpling factory in Perak cave

Caves have a variety of uses - they have been used as shelters, houses and temples, and as wine cellars, as places for storing cheese etc. In fact there are quite a lot of ways that caves have been used.

So I was interested to see a cave in the Ipoh area, at Gunung Rapat, which is being used as a pau factory.

Pau are steamed dumplings, commonly made by the Chinese, so I was even more interested to learn that this cave pau factory is owned by a Malay.

It is possibly the only use of a cave by a Malay in the Ipoh area.

The factory area occupies the rock shelter and is very light and airy and clean.

automatic stirrers

stirring the dough
adding the filling

feeding dough into the rollers and it comes out flat and is shaped

The place is kept nice and clean.

I was intrigued to see that a surau (Muslim prayer room) has been built inside a cave passage.

We were allowed to go in the surau. From there a passage leads up to an upper entrance.

The factory workers are local, and seem to be a very happy bunch of people. It is certainly a very pleasant place to work. They also pack chilli paste there

As the cave has not been documented before, I named it Gua Pau Al-Ain.

Gua Pau register number Prk 23/37.

© Liz Price
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