IF you were to go to Sungai Buloh looking for authentic Malay food, the locals would direct you to the Kedai Makan Nafas Baru, which is somewhat a legend in Kampung Paya Jaras Hilir.
Well-known to the locals as Pak Hamid’s children’s shop, the business is run by the children of the late Che Hamid Osman and his wife Munah Cha, selling dishes of traditional northern Malay recipes, since 1997.
The siblings, Norlia, 43, Rosleena, 40, Fazillah, 38, and Hanim, 35 each play different roles in the restaurant as a cook, making drinks, handling customers, and stall manager. Their mother would sometimes cook, too, which was usually their late father’s favourite and one of their most popular dishes – ikan merah fish head curry.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, coupled with the government’s movement control order, the family struggled to stay afloat.
“Business was affected, almost 70% of the sales had dropped. But my mother was against us retrenching any of the workers as they also needed to live. So, we carried on although we only were able to make back what we had invested and without profit,” Norlia said.
Most of her customers come from outside Sungai Buloh. With the MCO, they were not able to order the food from the restaurant.
“For now, we rely heavily on deliveries and orders. The restaurant is not as how it was before when tables were never empty,” she said, reminiscing about the good old days.
Norlia’s parents left Penang to find a better life in the Klang Valley. They worked various odd jobs including as common labourers before doing small retail business in the early 1990s. But the economic crisis at the time forced the business to close down.
“At the time, my parents were worried about how they were going to provide for their nine children and decided to venture into the food business. They called the business Kedai Makan Nafas Baru which was like giving a new life to our family,” Norlia said.
As the eldest child, Norlia used to start helping her mother in the kitchen to prepare the nasi lemak before going to school. The siblings also took turns helping their parents.
“Mother had told me, when we cook for others, make sure it is cooked with love. Cook as though you are cooking for your own family members. Don’t be too calculative. And my late father often told us that even if the business was not doing well, at least all the siblings have food and will not go to bed hungry,” she recalled.
She said despite the current situation, the siblings have vowed to keep going.
"No matter what pandemic comes, we will keep going strong, just like how our late father had struggled to raise us. All of us siblings have my father’s spirit in us,” she added.
Among the menu at the restaurant include lemak, lontong, mee soup and dishes such as chicken rendang, beef and sambal. For lunch, you can find mixed rice with northern dishes like fish head curry, ayam merah, ayam kicap mamak, daging goreng berempah, masak lemak pucuk ubi, ikan keli berlada, pajeri terung, sambal petai, ulam and sambal belacan. Others like curry mee, laksa utara, and a variety of soups are also available.
Kedai Makan Nafas Baru is open every Monday to Saturday (7am–5pm) and Sunday (7am–1pm). Call 012-340 5844 to place your orders. – The Vibes, August 5, 2021
#PetraKasih is an initiative under the Vinod Sekhar Foundation to assist and promote food stalls and small traders, including home-based businesses, during the pandemic. Each week, Getaran will highlight the plight of different food traders. If you know a food stall or small trader in your area and feel they deserve to be featured, contact us at [email protected].
*This story first appeared in our Malay-language sister portal Getaran.
