Uncle Wah's Story
as told by his son Ming Foo
Back in the '70s and '80s in Ipoh, Curry Mee, Bean Sprouts with Steamed Chicken and Shredded Chicken Hor Fun were some of the hawker food that you could easily find in any part of town. It was as common as finding chicken rice or wanton mee at any Chinese coffee shop today.
My father Mr Ng Sek Wah, commonly known as “Wah Suk” (Uncle Wah), was one of these hawkers in Ipoh. Uncle Wah’s hawker stall was located at Jalan Panglima (near Concubine Lane) which is next to the Ho Yan Hor Museum building. Back then, he sold curry mee, chicken curry, pork rib curry, chicken feet curry, steamed chicken, homemade char siu, etc. at his stall.
Before my father began his hawker food business, he actively learnt from others, went through lots of trial and error, and used the feedback from friends and family to create his distinct curry recipe.
The location of Uncle Wah's hawker stall in Ipoh
However, in the late '80s, the Malaysian economic downturn badly affected the people in Perak. Many Perakians decided to go overseas, both legally and illegally, to work in order to survive and support their family, we called it “跳飛機” (jumping off a plane)
My father, Uncle Wah was one of them. He went to Singapore and worked as a cook there in places such as food courts and hospital staff canteens. His last employment in Singapore was at River Valley Road, Loon Seng Restaurant (隆成茶室). It was a Chinese-style coffee shop where I visited my father every year to spend time with him during the school holidays.
In 2004, Uncle Wah retired from Singapore and returned to Ipoh. Although he knew he had a heart enlargement issue, he never gave up his passion for cooking. He still remained very active and loved to cook every day.
Father began to sell his curry powder and also started his catering services. He could handle the food preparation for 300 people all by himself. Of course, there was always his signature dish - Uncle Wah Chicken Curry.
Sometimes on weekends, I travelled back from Kuala Lumpur and try to help him in the kitchen if he had any catering bookings. We had a great time together in the kitchen and we came up with the Pork Meatballs Curry recipe together. Father always insisted to cook by himself for our Christmas party. Relatives and friends loved it. Even on the second day of Chinese New Year every year, he would prepare a lot of food as he knew everyone would come to visit. Father always said - we must show our best hospitality to serve anyone who comes to our house.
Father passed away on 5th November 2013. Since then, our relatives and friends would tell me that they missed Uncle Wah's curry. I wasn't sure what I could do about it. Or sometimes, I would just reply “Hey, why not you ask my mom and see if she has any curry powder?” One day in 2018, I suddenly asked mom how often she would sell the curry powder and curry paste. She replied not much as she only prepared the curry powder and curry paste if any friends asked for it. In my mind, I knew this was the start of something.
Together with my mom, I decided to share the curry everyone craved for! I wanted to carry on my father's legacy. And most importantly, by sharing Uncle Wah's curry recipe, I know my father's spirit will always be us. As my father always said - hope everyone enjoys what I cook for them and leave no stomach empty.
Cooking - his way of showing his love and care.
