Live Large. Celebrate Ordinary.
Madam Zaliah Ishak, 64, has been waking up daily at 3am to prepare traditional Malay food for the past 32 years.
As Singapore becomes one of the world’s most expensive cities, a simple plate of local dish nasi lemak can cost more than $12.
So it is humbling to find a food stall owner who continues to sell nasi lemak at $1, after 32 years in business.
Nasi lemak is made up of rice cooked in coconut cream and pandan leaves.
Madam Zaliah Ishak, 64, has been selling traditional Malay food since 1987 in the heartlands of Toa Payoh, and her offering of the $1-nasi lemak is not a marketing gimmick, but her way of giving back to the community.
Nasi lemak is made up of rice cooked in coconut cream and pandan leaves. It is a complete meal in itself, often accompanied by sweet chili sauce (sambal), fried anchovies (ikan bilis), fried egg, sliced cucumber, and small fried fish known as ikan selar.
Nasi lemak is complete meal in itself, often accompanied by sweet chili sauce (sambal), fried anchovies (ikan bilis), fried egg, sliced cucumber, and small fried fish known as ikan selar.
Nasi lemak is often packed into pyramidal paper packets for take-away orders.
Ikan selar is common in traditional recipes of nasi lemak.
At 3am everyday, Madam Zaliah would wake up and start to prepare her daily offerings - not just nasi lemak but other Malay classics like mee rebus, mee siam, lontong and nasi padang. Her unassuming stall, Kedai Makan Muhajirin, opens officially at 6am, but at 5.30am, customers are already waiting in queue.
Madam Zaliah’s husband, Mr Mohd Tahir Omar, 72, takes a short break behind his food stall to do his daily morning prayer.
“Many of our long-time customers are elderly and needy people living around this neighbourhood, that’s why we continue to sell at $1,” the soft-spoken makcik said.
“God sees your heart.”
Mr Mohd Tahir Omar greets a regular customer, who buys more than 20 packets of nasi lemak daily to distribute to the needy.
Born 4th of nine siblings in a Malay kampong, Madam Zaliah learnt cooking from a tender age. She never forgot her humble beginnings.
When she started her food business in 1980, she operated out of a “L-house” in Toa Payoh (a rental one-room flat). Then in 1987, she had a chance to open a proper stall at Block 18 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh.
Madam Zaliah’s daughter-in-law, Nana Azlina, will succeed her legacy. Nana has started taking over the daily operations at Kedai Makan Muhajirin.
Even though business has been brisk at 300-500 portions of nasi lemak a day, it is hard to break even, as costs spiral up over the years. To make business viable, dishes besides nasi lemak are sold at regular prices.
After three decades in business, Madam Zaliah continues her arduous routine, working 6 days a week, resting only on Mondays.
“Even when I have an off day, I wake up at 3am. I cannot stop. If I stop, all jam! (referring to her health and wellbeing). Only when I am in Mecca, my mind can rest.”
For her holidays, Mecca is a choice location. Madam Zaliah has went for Hajj twice, and would do an umrah (short pilgrimage) every 2 or 3 years.
And even though she would have cooked for entire days at her stall, Madam Zaliah reveals that she does not shun cooking at home. In fact, once a week, she would continue a family long tradition of cooking her childrens’ favourite dish: nasi bryani.
“Many of our long-time customers are elderly and needy people living around this neighbourhood, that’s why we continue to sell at $1,” the soft-spoken makcik said.
Kedai Makan Muhajirin is located at 20 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh and is open daily from 6am-1.30pm except Mondays.