A taste of Malaysia in the American Midwest

FOR Malaysians living abroad, cravings for local food can be insatiable, especially when you are in a part of the United States where the only place you can get almost authentic Malaysian food is to cook it yourself – with some missing ingredients.

When 26-year-old Nurul Adila Shahira Mohd Towab, who hails from Kedah arrived at Lincoln, Nebraska to complete her undergraduate studies, she was faced with a problem – she didn’t know how to adapt to American food.

She didn’t want burgers, scrambled eggs on hash or the arguably ‘American’ tacos and quesadillas. However, having entered boarding school when she was 13, she didn’t know how to cook the Malaysian delicacies she was used to eating.

She needed to learn how to cook, and with her family half the world away, she turned to YouTube for help.

As she honed her cooking skills watching Che Nom, a famous Malaysian food vlogger, she and her other Malaysian roommate decided to take orders and deliver Malaysian meals to other Malaysian students who also hungered for good ‘ol nasi lemak, rendang and nasi ayam.

“After doing this, cooking during the weekends and working as a statistical analyst on weekdays, my former partner brought up an idea of opening a restaurant in December 2020.

“At that time, the owner of the building whom we used to work for when we were still students approached us with a space to open a food joint.

“I told them I am okay with the idea though I cannot invest much time in it, only on work nights and weekends,” she told The Vibes.

With that green light of approval, she set up Rendang, believed to be the first halal Malaysian food restaurant on the Great Plains of the United States with Muhammad Ehsan, 31, an American who grew up in Malaysia.

Since then, she has been working seven days a week, from managing her day job to keeping her restaurant running. Adila wanted her workers to enjoy working at her restaurant while getting good pay, standardise the quality of everything served on the table and keep all her customers satisfied.

As a first-time F&B entrepreneur, she made calls to her family back in Malaysia for advice on how to cook big batches of food. As her grandfather runs a food catering business in Kedah, she was given quality advice on how to keep her restaurant running.

“It is totally different from what I did during the weekends where I cook a small batch to be delivered to those who have pre ordered their meals.

“There was a lot of trial and error involved and I had to ensure the recipes I created for my workers showed the exact measurements for them to follow.”

When Rendang opened its doors, there was already a line of customers, both Malaysians and locals, who wanted to feast on Malaysian food. Even though they prepped enough to last three days, there was nothing left to serve after the lunch, which was their first shift. They were forced to close for dinner and a day after to prepare for the crowd that was expected to patronise the restaurant the day after.

As word got out, those from nearby states, such as Iowa and Kansas made trips just to dine at Rendang.

Due to their strategic location where they are located right smack in the middle of the country and on the busiest street in Lincoln, there are those who, when planning their road trips from the coast to coast, would make Rendang one of their pit stops.

“About half of those who come here do not know where Malaysia is on the map, but once they taste the food, they are grateful.

“There are others who have not tasted Malaysian food who ask me how it is like – I tell them it is a mixture of Thai, Indian and Chinese flavours because these are what they are familiar with.

“Our customers love the food and I always get questions like how I can make the chicken so crispy and flavourful. Other favourites include the beef rendang and curry puff,” she said.

The business went on well for the next few months after its opening until another surge of Covid-19 cases hit. By then, many preferred to stay at home and call for deliveries. To make the most out of the situation, they also went online which had its own hiccups.

There was once when all credit card payments for the day did not reflect on the business account and they lost approximately US$4,000, which is around RM16,800. Then, a delivery service decided to run a Buy One, Free One offer to all who order without their knowledge, and they lost quite a sum then as well.

However, giving up is not an option for Adila. Instead of just kicking back and working on weekdays after successfully receiving her working visa to continue working as a statistical analyst, she continues to press on, putting more effort to excel in her business.

Though the business has slowed down a little, investors are keeping a close eye on the business.

Recently, she was approached by two different investors, one from Chicago, Illinois and another from Dallas, Texas with a said amount to open Rendang branches in both cities.

“I am excited, but I think what I really need right now is more workers.

“If I am going to do this (open more branches), I want to make this big and successful with employees paid right, not underpaid. I want them to be happy here working here too.”

The United States is currently suffering from a shortage of workers nationwide as many are down with Covid-19 or suffering from the effects of long Covid.

Though branching out is something she will look at, right now, she wants everything to be stable at the current restaurant first as many changes are still happening, from the number of patrons dining out to halal food suppliers.

Despite the difficulty, Adila is not backing down without a fight as she has seen the joy on the faces of her customers from what is created in her relatively small Malaysian kitchen. – The Vibes, February 28, 2022