Malaysian Specialises In West African Cuisines

By Sakini Mohd Said CYBERJAYA (Malaysia), Oct 2 (Bernama) -- The general rule for starting a business is to sell something in which there is a high demand for it. Therefore it is unsurprising to find many entrepreneurs inclined towards the latest fads, as there is guaranteed value in it. However, 34-year-old Norasyikin Nordin decided to take a chance and go the opposite way. At a time when Malaysians tend to harbour negative thoughts about African blacks, she decided to open a restaurant specialising in West African food. Her decision was met with heavy skepticism from friends and family. Now, five years on, she was glad to have stuck to her guns as her restaurant continue to enjoy brisk business. PROFITABLE "My decision to open the restaurant was a big and heated issue among those close to me. They wanted to know why I chose to only cater African food. "Many have been too prejudiced (by skin colour) to see that the African cuisine is delicious and could turn into a lucrative business," she said to Bernama. Her restaurant is called Broadway and is located in Cyberjaya. Norasyikin, better known as Noura among friends, said that her decision was made to distinguish herself from other restaurateurs. Having been exposed to the world of business at the age of six by helping her family sell 'kuih' (cakes) and 'nasi lemak' (fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf commonly found in Malaysia) door-to-door, Noura was well aware of how lucrative the food industry can be. However, knowing there was money in the food business was not enough. Noura still had trouble figuring out the kind of food she wanted to sell. UNIQUE The food industry is competitive and evolves rapidly. Each new day sees a new restaurant, a new concept or a new stall. Although she specialised in catering Malay food, she decided to not enter what was already a saturated market. "When I first decided to set up a business, I knew it would be between opening up a salon, a boutique or something to do with food. I ended choosing the latter because people need to eat, and they eat everyday. "As to why I chose African food, it is because besides being profitable, it is unique and is also my favourite kind of food," said Noura, who serves a variety of West African food at her restaurant. She first fell in love with the cuisine 10 years ago, after enjoying the 'ogbono soup'. However, her decision to open Broadway was not something done on a whim. She researched the market and found that not many locals have ventured into it, thus providing her with a competitive edge. SKEPTICAL "Arabic restaurants can be found almost everywhere in Malaysia and are owned by both Arabs and locals. Unlike them, restaurants selling African cuisine are monopolised by natives of African countries or locals who are married to them. This raises the question of whether the food served is halal. "That is what drove me to open my restaurant. I would like to provide a (halal) dining alternative for Muslims. I source and prepare all the ingredients myself and am assisted by an African chef while cooking," she said. Many were initially skeptical when learning of a Malay woman specialising in African cuisines. Some even presumed that her interest were merely derived from marriage to an African native. "Whenever I tell people what I do, many would assumed I do it because I am married to an African. Our people love to think along those lines. "However, what drives a person is their tenacity. When we really want something, we would work hard to realise it," said the single mother with one daughter. OVERSEAS Her keen interest in African cuisines led her to travel across Nigeria to learn the traditional way of cooking the country's cuisines. Among the dishes she learned to cook were jallof rice, which is similar to "nasi tomato" (a tasty tomato taste to the plain white rice) and ogbono soup, which is made with ground ogbono seeds and sometimes mixed with okra. "I have actually learned the dishes even before going to Nigeria. So the trip merely honed the skills that I had already developed. "All the dishes are made from natural ingredients and are cooked traditionally. It tastes remarkably different from what I had ever tasted before, and I learned it not by apprenticing in hotels but from the mothers of my friends," she said. She applied the knowledge she acquired from her travels to her daily menu. She eventually became so skilled that even her family loved the dishes. "It also very healthy. For example, they only use free-range chicken in their dishes and would decline otherwise. "Their rice is also less starchy, due to their way of cooking. They do this by discarding the water the rice is cooking in while it is boiling, and then replacing it with fresh water," she explained. AUTHENTIC TASTE To preserve the authentic taste of the dish, Noura would ensure that the ingredients used are sourced from its native country. She never once tried to replace it with local alternatives. "Even the cooking oil is imported. Other kinds of cooking oil would affect the taste. This is because the oil is crucial to the tastiness of the dish," she said. One of the favourites among patrons at her restaurant is the okro (okra) soup, which is made with okra, meat, fish and chicken stew. Her restaurant has become a favourite not only by Africans but Malays and Chinese as well. Jahan Haznah, 37, is one of her loyal customers who was willing to go through the commute to Cyberjaya just to dine at Broadway. "I love the chicken stew here. Whenever I have a hankering for African food, I would come here. I dare not go anywhere else because I am not as confident of their halal status," she said. KNOWLEDGE Although Noura's restaurant has today proven to be successful, she still felt that there was more to be learned. Business strategies as well as skills in communication and marketing need to be updated regularly. Realising this, Noura would routinely make the time to learn such knowledge from a renowned motivator, despite her packed schedule. "I used to think the corporate management skills I previously learned was enough. However, I learned in time that the reality of business was much tougher. "My business once hung in the balance when I had to close due to a blunder in management. Praise be to God, after equipping myself with knowledge and reviewing the problem, I was able to move forward." (photoBERNAMA) --BERNAMA