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Live Large. Celebrate Ordinary.
Somasundram Mohgan, 53, has been making roti pratas since he was 12 years old.
But few people know him by his full name. The prata chef is better known by his brand “Mr & Mrs Mohgan’s Super Crispy Roti Prata”, which has raked up local fandom since setting up shop in 2006 in the Joo Chiat area.
As a child, Mr Mohgan would watch his mother make prata for her employer. At first, he was only tasked to wash dishes. But soon, he cajoled his mother to teach him how to make a prata. Thus began his journey of becoming one of Singapore’s iconic prata masters.
Roti prata is made by flipping the dough repeatedly into a thin layer then folding the dough inwards into its flat bread before sending it to the frying pan.
The famous crispy “kesong” (no condiments) prata is often paired with curry or sambal chilli, but children enjoy them with sugar too.
Hundreds of dough balls are prepared daily to meet the staggering demands.
Making of the “coin prata” starts with splitting one dough ball into three thin slices.
Banana prata is is a favourite variation of the original roti prata.
Roti prata, is one of Singapore’s most beloved hawker food. A flatbread originating from South India, it is served with curry, and usually available as prata kosong, plain, or as prata telur, with an egg mixed into the dough. Children who are not ready for curry would usually have fond memories pressing their roti prata into generous servings of white sugar.
Mr Mohgan is on his feet flipping hundreds of roti pratas every day, and takes only one or two breaks during this marathon-like routine which begins 6am daily.
Like a martial arts hero in a Louis Cha kungfu novel, Mr Mohgan picked up his varied skills in an unplanned “career path”, learning what he could from wherever he landed.
In 1989, during his stint at a hotel, he learnt how to be precise in measuring his ingredients. “You see the roti prata chefs in Singapore? Humtum (estimate) one. Sometimes they put too much salt or too little. This affects how the dough will rise.”
Mr and Mrs Mohgan move around the tiny stall in perfect synchrony to meet the demands of their long queues of customers daily.
Still, fame has not made his work any easier. Every morning, his day begins at around 6am, and involves 7-8 hours of standing up, kneading, mixing and flipping pratas continuously. During busy periods, Mr Moghan would only take one toilet break, which is usually less than 5 minutes long.
Starting from around 6:30am, the ding-dong chime of the digital counter sitting atop the stainless steel buzzes incessantly, making it sound more like a polyclinic than a prata shop. On an average weekday, they use up to 5 litres of oil, which makes 700 pratas. On a weekend, it doubles.
The digital counter informs customers of their expected waiting time: 10 - 45 minutes depending on your luck.
Mrs Mohgan moves quickly between ladling curry to packing pratas to pressing the buzzer for the counter.
“We work 6 days a week, only off on Wednesdays. Once my daughters both graduate, I can take it easy. Maybe another five years, then I can retire.”
Despite the backbreaking daily grind, Mr Mohgan is driven to perfect every piece of prata by the occasional compliment from appreciative customers, who come from all over Singapore and even abroad.
“For now, we are just happy when customers come tell us this is the best prata in Singapore.”
“Once my daughters both graduate, I can take it easy. Maybe another five years, then I can retire,” revealed Mr Mohgan, 53. He has been making pratas since 12.
Mr & Mrs Mohgan’s Super Crispy Roti Prata is located at Tin Yeang Restaurant at 300 Joo Chiat Road (beside, Dunman Food Centre) and is open daily 6.30am-1pm except Wednesdays.