Young Hawker Opens “Mama’s Curry” Stall Using Same Curry Paste As Nana Curry’s
After trying out different jobs in IT, operations and car sales, Lin Weisheng, 27, says a “career crisis” prompted him to take on an entirely new challenge: opening a hawker stall. “I was laid off by my previous company [a car rental business] last November. When planning my next step, I was inspired by the trend of youngsters starting their own F&B businesses and I wanted to give it a shot too,” he says.
The decision to sell curry was a no-brainer. Weisheng’s mother, Su Ya Juan, 52, is a franchisee that operates Nana Curry’s Bedok North outlet with a business partner. The famous local curry chain owns several hawker stalls and two restaurant branches – notably, its Bukit Merah hawker stall snagged a Michelin Bib Gourmand nod from 2016 to 2020. “It made sense to pick curry as it’s something my mum can teach me [how to cook]. I’ve also been helping out at her stall since I was young and it’s a dish that I love.”
In September, Weisheng opened Mama’s Curry at Golden Mile Food Centre, serving curry fish head, chicken, mutton and vegetables. He runs the stall on his own, with occasional help from his mum and fiancée.
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Same curry paste as Nana Curry
Though Weisheng’s stall is not affiliated to Nana Curry, he is able to use their curry paste thanks to his mum, Mdm Su. “My mum is one of their first franchisees and the founder was very supportive when we told him about my stall. Even though we have no business relationship, he was very kind and agreed to let us order Nana’s curry paste [for Mama’s Curry].” The founder also showed his support by visiting Mama’s Curry during its opening week. “He’s a man of few words. He tried our food and said: ‘ok, can do’,” shares Weisheng.
Mdm Su has been working for Nana since 1999 – she started off as an employee before becoming a franchisee a few years later. She now co-owns the Bedok North outlet, located in a kopitiam, with a partner and cooks at the stall most of the time.
Why not become a Nana franchisee, like his mum, instead? “I want to create my own concept. The start-up cost of a hawker stall is also lower and I’m not planning on hiring anyone at the moment to keep costs low,” says Weisheng.
Mentored by mum
Before opening Mama’s Curry, Weisheng apprenticed at his mum’s stall for about nine months to learn how to prepare the different curries. His menu is based on her recipes – whom his stall is named after. On his stall name’s similarity to Nana Curry, the hawker says it was not intentional. “We don’t want to be a direct competitor to the brand. We’re doing our business in a very small-scale way.”
Despite having no culinary training, the jovial hawker says the process was “not too difficult”. “It helps that I’ve been eating the curry since I was a kid, so I’m very familiar with the taste,” he adds.
Mdm Su helms his stall once a week as Weisheng is busy planning for his wedding in January next year. “I definitely have less free time now! But it’s ok, I want to see him succeed. He told me he wanted to start his own business as we’re getting old, and he hopes that his dad and I will be able to retire comfortably. I was very touched to hear that,” she shares. So far, Weisheng and his parents have invested about $25K to set up the stall.
Customers have remarked on the similarity between Nana’s and Mama’s curries
“A lot of customers have commented that our food is similar to Nana Curry’s. Some even recognised my mum,” says Weisheng. As we’ve not been to any Nana outlets recently, we will not be comparing Mama’s Curry to the chain’s version.
We’re told regular patrons of the Bedok outlet may find Weisheng’s version to be less fiery. “During the first few weeks, many customers said my curry was too spicy for them so I’ve tweaked the recipe,” he says.
Plans to create his own recipes
The hawker plans to develop his own curry paste after gaining more cooking experience. For now, his focus is on running the stall. “Business has been ok. Lunch is busier and we get a good office crowd. We sell close to 100 portions on a busy day.”
Does he hope to replicate Nana Curry’s success? “That would be great, but I’m not thinking so far ahead yet. My parents told me from the start that it’s not a given that I’ll earn a lot of money [from opening a stall]. This is the first time I’m running a business on my own and there are still a lot of things to pick up,” he says.
The menu
There are four types of a la carte curry: chicken, mutton, vegetables and fish head. For curry chicken, you’ll get a wing and thigh for $5.50 or drumstick and thigh for $7.50. The fish head curry (featuring ang go li or red snapper) comes in three sizes – the smallest $20 portion feeds one while the $30 version is good for four people. Complete your meal with toasted baguette ($1) or plain rice (from $0.50). The prices are similar to the identical menu at Nana’s Bedok outlet – curry chicken and mutton cost the same at both stalls, but fish head curry is $1 to $3 cheaper at Mama’s Curry.
Curry Fish Head (medium), $26; feeds 2-3pax (8 DAYS Pick!)
This isn’t the sour, assam-heavy style of curry fish head. Instead, its full-bodied spiciness reminds us of richer, more fiery South Indian fish head curry. The gravy is not particularly lemak – coconut milk is used with restraint, which allows the robust spice blend to shine. The scarlet dish also packs more heat than most Chinese-style curry fish head (but not so spicy that it masks the other flavours), so be prepared to sweat a little. As a rough comparison, its spice level reminds us of a toned-down version of what you’d get at Indian restaurants like Samy’s Curry.
The fresh red snapper is well-cooked, retaining its shape after a simmer in the claypot and its tender flesh flakes easily. Chunky portions of okra, eggplant and tau pok (the beancurd puffs are common in Chinese versions of the dish) take some of the edge off the curry’s potent kick, and the thick gravy pairs well with plain rice. Our medium portion is hearty enough for two to three people.
Curry Chicken, $5.50 for wing & thigh; $7.50 for drumstick & thigh
Due to supply issues, the stall uses frozen chicken for now. Our $7.50 portion comes with a rather large drumstick and thigh and we found the meat to be tender enough. The soft potatoes were tasty, too.
Curry Mutton, $6.50
The gravy here was slightly too salty for our liking. But the hearty chunks of mutton leg were flavourful and offered a good bite – the portion of meat and potato was pretty satisfying and provided decent value for its price.
Curry Vegetables, $4.50
The veggie option also features the same rich, flavourful curry used in the above dishes instead of the more lemak, runny gravy in most other curry chap chye. Compared to the meat and fish curries, this dish is more refreshing thanks to the mix of cabbage, long bean, glass noodles and tau pok. A good add-on to your meal.
Bottom line
If you like spicy curries, these bowls will hit the spot. We enjoyed how the curries here are underscored by a robust aromatic spice blend that lingers with every bite. The signature curry fish head is worth a try, especially if you’re looking for a richer, more fiery gravy over the typically tangier assam-heavy Chinese-style variations.
The details
Mama’s Curry is at #01-82 Golden Mile Food Centre, 505 Beach Rd, S199583. Open daily 11am to 9pm. More info via Facebook Instagram.
Photos: Kelvin Chia
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