At 409 Ang Mo Kio Market and Food Centre, one hawker stall draws long queues for its plates of char kway teow full of wok hei (smoky flavour).
But behind the scenes, a heartwarming story unfolds.
Bendemeer Fresh Cockles Fried Kway Teow was once helmed by Mr Hu, the main cook, and his wife. Today, it is their son, who was born with learning difficulties, who has taken over the wok.
When The New Paper (TNP) visited on the afternoon of July 9, Mrs Hu and her son were busy fulfilling orders, with customers queuing even during non-peak hours. The aroma of char kway teow filled the air as the younger Hu, who appeared to be in his 20s, manned the wok.
Our reporter ordered a plate. The noodles were dark and moist, with a good hit of wok hei and a subtle sweetness.
Passing on the trade
When approached, Mrs Hu declined to speak to TNP.
But in an interview with Bestfoody, the couple said that illness had forced them to train their son to keep the family business going.
Mr Hu is now battling cancer. Though he no longer cooks, he still wakes early to prepare pork lard before heading off for treatment.
“I’m now semi-retired,” he said. “If I recover, I’ll take over and keep the business going.”
Mrs Hu, who suffered a stroke that left her hand weak, said it was her husband who taught her to cook, before training their son.
“My husband taught me how to cook. He taught my son how to cook. He’s really the best,” she said. “But he got sick. He might leave any time, I know. I will be very sad.”
A slow learner, but always improving
“When my son was born, he had some difficulties,” said Mrs Hu. “He couldn’t go to school because he couldn’t read. Even the army officer said he couldn’t join national service. So we brought him home and taught him how to fry char kway teow.”
She recalled how difficult it was in the beginning: “He is slow. I have to spend the whole day teaching him, but he always forgets. That’s his nature. But he is much better now. Last time, he didn’t like to talk to people. Now, he opens up more.”
Some customers misunderstood at first: “Some uncle scolded me before, asking ‘Why does your son always look at me like that?’ I told him, ‘Uncle, my son is like this. He isn’t staring at you. It’s not on purpose.'”
Another customer asked Mrs Hu how she had taught her son. “I told her, just ask him to do it. If he doesn’t, I will scold him,” she said with a laugh.
From father’s wok to son’s hands
“At first, he couldn’t make char kway teow at all. But slowly, he improved,” said Mrs Hu. “Customers now say it tastes almost like how my husband used to make it.”
According to Mr Hu, his son can now replicate about 60 to 70 per cent of his original cooking.
Sometimes, the younger Hu gets tired, but his mother gently reminds him: “You tell me you’re tired? Mom and Dad are also tired. We’ve raised you to this age, you have to be independent.”
“I always tell him, the things I teach you now, in the future you have to keep improving. Understand?”
‘We should support them’
Long-time customers told TNP that they’ve noticed the difference, but in a good way.
“We’ve been living here for about 20 years. Whenever we pass by, we would come here to eat,” said a customer who only wanted to be known as Alison, 56. “Actually, his son’s cooking is better than the father’s. There is more wok hei. We should support them.”
A first-time customer who onlly wanted to be known as Jane, 65, agreed: “It’s not bad. There is wok hei. It’s in my top five for char kway teow. I would come back.”
But Alison also urged customers to show patience. “He can’t cook a lot at one go. Sometimes when there are many people, he might throw a tantrum or get angry. So I think people shouldn’t add on to that.”
