Hedy Khoo

4 days ago | straitstimes.com | Hedy Khoo

SINGAPORE – While his classmates spent weekends at play and enjoyed family outings during school holidays, Mr Eugene Tan’s boyhood memories are of cutting long beans and gutting fish at his parents’ nasi padang stall. By age 13, he was dispatching live crabs. His brother, who is two years younger, began helping out too, at age seven. “Our school holidays were spent doing ‘child labour’ and ‘interning’ at our parents’ stall,” says Mr Tan, a 46-year-old former teacher. At first, it felt novel.

1 week ago | straitstimes.com | Hedy Khoo

SINGAPORE – Mr Dominic Tan, 33, once dreamt of becoming a concert pianist. These days, the co-founder and chief executive of fast-casual Korean chain Ajumma’s composes dishes instead of music, to the tune of $15 million in annual revenue. At just four years old, he began studying music. Sharing a birthday with classical great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart cemented the notion that he was made for a life of music. Heused to hog the only piano at Rosyth Primary School, practising for hours. “I loved it.

2 weeks ago | straitstimes.com | Hedy Khoo

SINGAPORE – At 10pm, when most students were winding down, Mr Lee Ray Sheng was firing up the wok at his Nanyang Technological University (NTU) hostel canteen stall. Armed with garlic, bean sprouts and soya sauce, the second-year computer science undergraduate transformed a quiet canteen into a late-night supper venue. In February 2020, the owner of Raydy Beehoon sold out 200 packets of his $3 supper set of fried beehoon, chicken wing and egg. That was just the first night.

2 weeks ago | straitstimes.com | Hedy Khoo

SINGAPORE – Fancy nasi lemak with less post-meal guilt? Try the Grilled Ayam Taliwang Brown Rice ($10.90) at Makan Empire By Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang. The 50-seat eatery at Woodlands Health Campus has a Healthy Choice Meal section on its menu, offering four versions of Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang’s grilled chicken paired with brown rice. Calling it brown rice might be a stretch. It is actually a mix of short-grained pearl rice and Thai riceberry, a deep purple wholegrain rice.

2 weeks ago | straitstimes.com | Hedy Khoo

SINGAPORE – I am ready to scoff at the Chicken Rendang ($8.90 for an a la carte order) at Serangoon BBQ & Curry, especially when co-owner Eugene Tan reveals that the boneless chicken thigh is marinated and grilled before it is doused in rendang gravy. But one bite in and I am eating my words. Cloaked in turmeric and lemongrass, the grilled thigh is tender, deeply flavourful and wholly satisfying.