Keledek – The New Fun Word To Teach Your Kid

It’s sweet, comforting and healthy. Oh, and not to mention, so sedap when turned into fries. 

We’re talking about the sweet potato (or keledek, its Malay name), the surprising hero in the story What Ants Do On Stormy Days.

Written by Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State of Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development, the endearing tale tells of how Andi the ant and his family were saved by Kelly the keledek and her clan of root veggies.

This story was the first to kick off season two of Book Monsters, a podcast series brought to you by EtonHouse Community Fund Volunteers and Kiss92 to discuss the ways you can liven up bedtime stories. The series is supported by The Singapore Women’s Weekly.

Click here to listen to Ms Sun Xueling’s reading of What Ants Do on Stormy Days.

Say kuh-leh-dek

After listening to the podcast, you might be convinced that the ubiquitous keledek should be nominated Singapore’s national vegetable. Beyond being a super healthy food to makan, here are some reasons why the word should enter your children’s vocabulary bank.

#1 it is a nod to the experiences of our forefathers

In the story What Ants Do On Stormy Days, Andi the ant and his family climbed atop Kelly and the other keledek to avoid the rising waters while the keledek were extending their roots to hold the ground together. The sweet potatoes became the ants’ safe haven and means to survive.

In a similar vein, many elders here relied on the keledek as a source of sustenance during the warring years, Ms Sun shares during the podcast interview with Kiss92 presenter The Flying Dutchman. 

“Secondly, as it’s a story about staying safe, secure and anchored to your own homeland, I wanted a [main character] that was local,” she adds.

#2 Keledek teaches us how to show up for others

The idea for the story came up when Ms Sun’s children were asking her questions about the war happening in Europe. 

“It dawned on me that in this time of strife and uncertainty, it’s important that our children feel safe and secure and know what they can do for themselves, as well as for one another to keep themselves safe,” she shares.

And with the keledek as the perfect protagonist, along with Andi the ant, the story began to take shape.

#3 It could make your child a more adventurous eater

Say “keledek” quickly a few times, and you might elicit giggles from the little one. It’s such a fun word to say that the ingredient will be a “die die must try” at your next meal (if your kid hasn’t yet had it). And by extension, you could introduce a range of other root veggies like yam, tapioca and arrowroot that are also healthy, hearty and delicious.

You can catch new episodes of Book Monsters Season 2 every Friday on Google Podcasts, Spotify or Awedio.