Latest news with #NasiLemakAyamTaliwang
Economic Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Bored flight attendant quits job to start a food stall. Now, he has 31 outlets and is in Michelin Guide
Synopsis Trading in-flight coffee for spicy sambal, ex-flight attendant Noorman Ahmad followed his passion into the kitchen. Inspired by his roots and his wife's Indonesian recipe, he opened Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang. Despite humble beginnings and long days, his dedication earned him a spot in the Michelin Guide—turning one hawker stall into a nationwide culinary sensation. Mohammed Noorman Bin Mubarak Ahmad, a former Singapore Airlines flight steward, left his high-paying job to chase a culinary dream. He launched a hawker stall featuring his wife's fiery ayam taliwang recipe. (Images: LinkedIn/ Noorman Mubarak) There was a time when Noorman's days revolved around aisle service and in-flight announcements. For seven years, he donned the crisp uniform of Singapore Airlines, traversing continents with ease, earning a handsome paycheck of SG$5,000 a month, and soaking in the allure of the skies. But inside, he felt a growing emptiness. 'The job was too easy,' he admitted in a report by Business Insider . 'Just asking, 'Do you want coffee or tea?' I didn't need to have done a degree for it.' That quiet dissatisfaction led him to quit in 2011. He took up a maintenance role in the oil and gas industry, eventually rising to a managerial post. Yet even that didn't satisfy the urge simmering beneath the surface—to return to his roots in food. Cooking wasn't new to Noorman. As a child, he helped run his father's hawker stall selling Malay dishes. But this time, it was personal. When Yishun Park Hawker Centre opened near his home in 2017, he decided to take a leap of faith. Along with a friend, he invested SG$40,000 of their savings and launched Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang —a bold twist on the traditional Malay dish, featuring his wife's fiery Indonesian ayam taliwang. Mornings began at 2:45 a.m., followed by prep, a full-time job, and late-night cooking. For months, the returns were modest, and exhaustion loomed large. 'The thought of working almost 18 hours a day, every day, for the next two to three years—that was the most challenging,' he confessed. But he kept going. The COVID-19 pandemic brought yet another storm. Like many small businesses, his stall faced existential threats during Singapore's lockdown. But Noorman remained undeterred. His 2020 LinkedIn post became a rallying cry: 'See the opportunities in every problem… make that step.' In 2021, his food was quietly listed in the Michelin Guide as a Michelin Plate—recognition for good food. 'Never in my dreams have I ever thought The Michelin Guide would even think of eating our food,' he wrote, humbled. That quiet mention became a turning point. Today, Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang isn't just a humble hawker stall—it's a 31-outlet success story, with daily sales soaring up to SG$4,000 per stall. From neighborhood centers to Marina Bay Sands, Noorman's creation has become a local icon. And recently, after four years of being featured, he finally received the official Michelin letter and decal. 'It still gives me chills,' he posted recently. 'We are in the red book!' Noorman's story is more than a tale of business growth. It's a reminder that fulfillment rarely arrives on a silver tray—it must be cooked slowly, seasoned with sacrifice, and served with resilience. In his own words: 'It is always Day One for me. The real work always starts today.'
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bored flight attendant quits job to start a food stall. Now, he has 31 outlets and is in Michelin Guide
There was a time when Noorman's days revolved around aisle service and in-flight announcements. For seven years, he donned the crisp uniform of Singapore Airlines , traversing continents with ease, earning a handsome paycheck of SG$5,000 a month, and soaking in the allure of the skies. But inside, he felt a growing emptiness. 'The job was too easy,' he admitted in a report by Business Insider . 'Just asking, 'Do you want coffee or tea?' I didn't need to have done a degree for it.' Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Design Thinking Operations Management MCA Product Management Management Digital Marketing healthcare CXO Cybersecurity Project Management others Healthcare Data Science PGDM Artificial Intelligence Leadership Others MBA Finance Data Analytics Technology Public Policy Data Science Degree Skills you'll gain: Duration: 22 Weeks IIM Indore CERT-IIMI DTAI Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 25 Weeks IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK PCP DTIM Async India Starts on undefined Get Details That quiet dissatisfaction led him to quit in 2011. He took up a maintenance role in the oil and gas industry, eventually rising to a managerial post. Yet even that didn't satisfy the urge simmering beneath the surface—to return to his roots in food. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search Ads Get Info Undo He took up a maintenance role in the oil and gas industry, eventually rising to a managerial post. (Image: LinkedIn) Stirring Up Something New Cooking wasn't new to Noorman. As a child, he helped run his father's hawker stall selling Malay dishes. But this time, it was personal. When Yishun Park Hawker Centre opened near his home in 2017, he decided to take a leap of faith. Along with a friend, he invested SG$40,000 of their savings and launched Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang —a bold twist on the traditional Malay dish, featuring his wife's fiery Indonesian ayam taliwang. You Might Also Like: IITian billionaire Jay Chaudhry reveals the secret to his $17 billion success: 'Behind every startup I built, she was the powerhouse' Mornings began at 2:45 a.m., followed by prep, a full-time job, and late-night cooking. For months, the returns were modest, and exhaustion loomed large. 'The thought of working almost 18 hours a day, every day, for the next two to three years—that was the most challenging,' he confessed. But he kept going. Pandemic, Perseverance, and Plates The COVID-19 pandemic brought yet another storm. Like many small businesses, his stall faced existential threats during Singapore's lockdown. But Noorman remained undeterred. His 2020 LinkedIn post became a rallying cry: 'See the opportunities in every problem… make that step.' In 2021, his food was quietly listed in the Michelin Guide as a Michelin Plate—recognition for good food. 'Never in my dreams have I ever thought The Michelin Guide would even think of eating our food,' he wrote, humbled. You Might Also Like: Man turns his side hustle into $40,000 a month remote business, and it all started with a free favour That quiet mention became a turning point. 31 Outlets and a Dream Realized Today, Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang isn't just a humble hawker stall—it's a 31-outlet success story, with daily sales soaring up to SG$4,000 per stall. From neighborhood centers to Marina Bay Sands, Noorman's creation has become a local icon. And recently, after four years of being featured, he finally received the official Michelin letter and decal. 'It still gives me chills,' he posted recently. 'We are in the red book!' Noorman's story is more than a tale of business growth. It's a reminder that fulfillment rarely arrives on a silver tray—it must be cooked slowly, seasoned with sacrifice, and served with resilience. In his own words: 'It is always Day One for me. The real work always starts today.'
Business Insider
18-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
A former Singapore Airlines flight attendant started a food stall in 2017. Now, it's a 31-outlet chain featured in the Michelin Guide.
When Mohammed Noorman Bin Mubarak Ahmad opened his first hawker stall in 2017, he woke up at 2:45 a.m., after just three hours of sleep. While most of Singapore slumbered, he cooked spicy sambal and marinated chicken and stocked up his tinystall for a busy day. He squeezed the prep in before his oil and gas job, then ran back after work to serve dinner. The long hours in front of the stove were a sharp departure from his cushy job as a flight attendant with Singapore Airlines. Noorman's early alarms and career pivots paid off. Eight years later, he has expanded the first stall into a chain business featured in the Michelin Guide. Seven years travelling the world, and feeling unfulfilled Noorman, now 46, has been working in kitchens since he was six. His father used to run a hawker stall, and he helped out before and after school. After studying a degree in Business Management in Australia, he came back to help his father with the stall, which sold Malay food. After many disagreements on how to run it, he decided he needed a break. "I just needed to get out," he said. He joined Singapore Airlines as an air steward. His seven years working as a flight attendant for Singapore Airlines, from 2004 to 2011, were glamorous as he flew to South Africa and Europe. He said he was paid about 5,000 Singapore dollars monthly in the role. "I thought, this is the life. I'm not going to get married anymore. I'm going to stay single and travel," Noorman said. "For seven years, I forgot about all the things that I learned and aspired to be." Eventually, a sense of emptiness crept in. "The job was too easy. Just asking, 'Do you want coffee or tea, chicken or whatever? '" he said. "I didn't need to have done a degree for it." In 2011, he quit his job at Singapore Airlines and worked a maintenance gig at an oil and gas company in Singapore. Shortly after he quit his job, he met his now wife, who was also a flight attendant at the time. He stayed there for seven more years, working his way up to a managerial role. Setting up Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang Still, he wanted to build something of his own. And when Yishun Park Hawker Centre was under construction, right in front of his house, he decided to take the leap. He got a friend to partner with him, and they each put SG$20,000 of their savings into the stall. He started Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang in 2017. Noorman decided to add a twist to the classic nasi lemak recipe. His wife, who is Indonesian, whipped up a mean ayam taliwang — a spicy grilled chicken dish — so they decided to combine the two. For the first few months, business was slow. He said he earned less than SG$5,000 monthly, which felt like a huge step back. "I didn't want to be earning the same amount as I did about 10 years back, and working double the hours," he said. He ran the stall while working his 9-to-5 job at the oil and gas company, meaning he would come back to the stall after work and feed a hungry dinner crowd until 10 p.m. Then he got up the next morning to prep before work. "The thought of working almost 18 hours a day, every day, for the next two to three years, that was the most challenging," Noorman said. The business was also hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw Singapore go into a full lockdown. Then, in 2021, his stall was included in the Michelin Guide. Sales started picking up, and Noorman scaled up massively. Now, Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang has 31 stores around the island city, including one in the food court in the glitzy Marina Bay Sands mall. He said daily sales for each of his stalls range from SG$800 to SG$4,000. A spicy dish with tender meat and fragrant rice When I visited Noorman's first stall in Yishun Park Hawker Centre, I tried the SG$7.60 Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, the most popular item. Nasi lemak is a rice dish with origins in Malaysia, served with roasted peanuts, an egg, anchovies, a sweet and spicy chili paste called sambal, and cucumber slices. The staff ladled a generous heap of chili paste onto the grilled chicken. The spice did not overpower the savory marinade. The meat was tender and fell off the bone. The sambal added sweetness to the dish, and the jammy egg made it rich and creamy. Jay Sim, a regular who has been buying the stall's SG$6.60 double chicken wings set fortnightly for about five months, said it's one of the best nasi lemak stalls he's tried in Singapore. Sim, a 21-year-old TikTok streamer, said the chicken was always crispy, and the rice, flavored with pandan leaves, was fragrant. Hands off the stove, and happier than ever Now, with a workforce of about a hundred people manning his 31 outlets, Noorman said he has not picked up a ladle in six months. "If you have the opportunity to sit down, relax, play golf, travel, and still get paid, you will want to do that rather than work in a hawker center for 18 hours," he said. But it was important to carry on his family's hawker legacy and pass it down to his children. "It's so tiring, my feet were always sore," he said." But I did it because I want to create this legacy."
Business Insider
18-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
A former Singapore Airlines flight attendant started food stall in 2017. Now, it's a 31-outlet chain featured in the Michelin Guide.
When Mohammed Noorman Bin Mubarak Ahmad opened his first hawker stall in 2017, he woke up at 2:45 a.m., after just three hours of sleep. While most of Singapore slumbered, he cooked spicy sambal and marinated chicken and stocked up his tinystall for a busy day. He squeezed the prep in before his oil and gas job, then ran back after work to serve dinner. The long hours in front of the stove were a sharp departure from his cushy job as a flight attendant with Singapore Airlines. Noorman's early alarms and career pivots paid off. Eight years later, he has expanded the first stall into a chain business featured in the Michelin Guide. Seven years travelling the world, and feeling unfulfilled Noorman, now 46, has been working in kitchens since he was six. His father used to run a hawker stall, and he helped out before and after school. After studying a degree in Business Management in Australia, he came back to help his father with the stall, which sold Malay food. After many disagreements on how to run it, he decided he needed a break. "I just needed to get out," he said. He joined Singapore Airlines as an air steward. His seven years working as a flight attendant for Singapore Airlines, from 2004 to 2011, were glamorous as he flew to South Africa and Europe. He said he was paid about 5,000 Singapore dollars monthly in the role. "I thought, this is the life. I'm not going to get married anymore. I'm going to stay single and travel," Noorman said. "For seven years, I forgot about all the things that I learned and aspired to be." Eventually, a sense of emptiness crept in. "The job was too easy. Just asking, 'Do you want coffee or tea, chicken or whatever? '" he said. "I didn't need to have done a degree for it." In 2011, he quit his job at Singapore Airlines and worked a maintenance gig at an oil and gas company in Singapore. Shortly after he quit his job, he met his now wife, who was also a flight attendant at the time. He stayed there for seven more years, working his way up to a managerial role. Setting up Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang Still, he wanted to build something of his own. And when Yishun Park Hawker Centre was under construction, right in front of his house, he decided to take the leap. He got a friend to partner with him, and they each put SG$20,000 of their savings into the stall. He started Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang in 2017. Noorman decided to add a twist to the classic nasi lemak recipe. His wife, who is Indonesian, whipped up a mean ayam taliwang — a spicy grilled chicken dish — so they decided to combine the two. For the first few months, business was slow. He said he earned less than SG$5,000 monthly, which felt like a huge step back. "I didn't want to be earning the same amount as I did about 10 years back, and working double the hours," he said. He ran the stall while working his 9-to-5 job at the oil and gas company, meaning he would come back to the stall after work and feed a hungry dinner crowd until 10 p.m. Then he got up the next morning to prep before work. "The thought of working almost 18 hours a day, every day, for the next two to three years, that was the most challenging," Noorman said. The business was also hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw Singapore go into a full lockdown. Then, in 2021, his stall was included in the Michelin Guide. Sales started picking up, and Noorman scaled up massively. Now, Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang has 31 stores around the island city, including one in the food court in the glitzy Marina Bay Sands mall. He said daily sales for each of his stalls range from SG$800 to SG$4,000. A spicy dish with tender meat and fragrant rice When I visited Noorman's first stall in Yishun Park Hawker Centre, I tried the SG$7.60 Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, the most popular item. Nasi lemak is a rice dish with origins in Malaysia, served with roasted peanuts, an egg, anchovies, a sweet and spicy chili paste called sambal, and cucumber slices. The staff ladled a generous heap of chili paste onto the grilled chicken. The spice did not overpower the savory marinade. The meat was tender and fell off the bone. The sambal added sweetness to the dish, and the jammy egg made it rich and creamy. Jay Sim, a regular who has been buying the stall's SG$6.60 double chicken wings set fortnightly for about five months, said it's one of the best nasi lemak stalls he's tried in Singapore. Sim, a 21-year-old TikTok streamer, said the chicken was always crispy, and the rice, flavored with pandan leaves, was fragrant. Hands off the stove, and happier than ever Now, with a workforce of about a hundred people manning his 31 outlets, Noorman said he has not picked up a ladle in six months. "If you have the opportunity to sit down and still get paid and relax, play golf, travel, and still get paid, you will want to do that rather than work in a hawker center for 18 hours," he said. But it was important to carry on his family's hawker legacy and pass it down to his children. "It's so tiring, my feet were always sore," he said." But I did it because I want to create this legacy."
Straits Times
24-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Straits Times
Food Picks: Makan Empire brings spice to Woodlands Health Campus
SINGAPORE – Fancy n asi 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. Still, it is a healthier choice that does not skimp on flavour, thanks to the nutty aroma of coconut milk. Grilled Ayam Taliwang Brown Rice at Makan Empire By Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO Paired with a grilled chicken leg coated with a pungent Taliwang sambal of fresh red chill, candlenuts and plenty of sweet shallots, it is easy to make quick work of the rice. The plate comes with a dollop of sambal for the nasi lemak, prepared from dried chilli, belacan, dried shrimp and red onion. Cooked for five hours and packed with caramelised onion, the sambal is sweet with a fiery punch. For breakfast with a kick, the Ikan Bilis Sambal Toast Set ($6) delivers. Ikan Bilis Sambal Toast Set with Teh O Pandan at Makan Empire By Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO While the sliced bread is plain, it is stuffed generously with spicy ikan bilis sambal. In fact, the avalanche of anchovies tips it slightly towards the salty side. The set includes two half-boiled eggs and a hot drink – opt for Teh O Pandan (additional 30 cents ), which is perked up with a fresh pandan leaf for a subtly floral lift . Pandan leaf lends the Teh O Pandan a floral lift. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO Indomee Kecap Sambal ($9.90) is served on a banana leaf-lined plate for that nostalgic hawker touch. Instant noodle lovers will enjoy having it with a grilled chicken leg doused in a spicy sambal sweetened with kicap manis (sweet soya sauce). Indomee Kecap Sambal at Makan Empire By Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO Opened in December 2024, the eatery also carries a selection of staples from Warong Pak Sapari in collaboration with the Adam Road food stall. Mee Rebus Pak Sapari ($5.70) and Mee Soto Pak Sapari ($6) ro und out the menu and offer comforting choices for diners. Mee Rebus at Makan Empire By Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO Where: B2-05/06 Woodlands Health Campus, 17 Woodlands Drive 17 MRT: Woodlands South Open: 8am to 9pm daily Hedy Khoo is senior correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers food-related news, from reviews to human interest stories. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
