A halal chee cheong fun stall is seeing an uptick in customers after getting Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s stamp of approval.
The stall, aptly named Halal Chee Cheong Fun, is run by two young hawkers — Muhammad Nurullah Mohamed Hussein and Mohammad Hazzuwan Mohd Halim, who are former professional footballers.
In a video posted on PM Wong’s social media accounts, Hazzuwan was seen introducing and presenting their Original Chee Cheong Fun ($5) to him during a visit.
“For you, especially for you,” the hawker said.
As the Prime Minister tasted the dish, Hazzuwan cheekily asked if he could get a picture afterwards, to which PM Wong responded “Boleh!”.
When asked how they got started, the 32-year-old hawker explained that their chee cheong fun sauce was made using a family recipe.
To this, PM Wong replied: “The sauce is good! Very nice!”
The video has garnered over a million views on Instagram as of Tuesday (April 28).
The stall has seen throngs of both new and returning customers since it was posted, the owners told 8Days.
@lawrencewongst Young Malay hawkers in Tampines making “chee cheong fun” with their own family recipe sauce!
From the field to the kitchen
Co-owners of Halal Chee Cheong Fun Hazzuwan and Nurullah have been friends for over a decade, having met while playing for Balestier Khalsa in their pro-football days.
The two have also played for Geylang International and Hougang United, with Hazzuwan winning the S-League’s Best Young Player award in 2017.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, while football training was paused, Nurullah and his wife started a home-based business selling halal chee cheong fun using her mother’s unique sweet-spicy sauce.
It deviates from the usual Chinese-style variations, which often use soy-based sauces and sambal, Nurullah told 8Days. Instead, their recipe includes ingredients such as dried shrimp paste, sesame oil and sesame seeds, then finished with chili padi, in addition to other items he’d rather keep a secret.
When his football contract ended, he swapped his jersey for an apron and opened Halal Chee Cheong Fun in January 2021.
Nurullah had also asked Hazzuwan if he was keen to join the venture, and the latter began helping out at the stall while continuing to play football until he retired last year.
Currently, Nurullah handles the stall’s operations — including preparing the chee cheong fun sauce — while Hazzuwan is in charge of marketing and social media, including hosting TikTok lives where they also sell their chee cheong fun.
AsiaOne has reached out to Halal Chee Cheong Fun for more information.
Unique variations for familiar dish
Aside from the Original Chee Cheong Fun, the stall also offers unique variations such as the Prawn Chee Cheong Fun ($6.50) and Roasted Chicken Chee Cheong Fun ($7.50) — halal alternatives to the usual char siew found in the dish.
Their rice noodles come fresh daily from a supplier and are finished off with a generous serving of sauce before being served up.
Halal Chee Cheong Fun also offers Tiger Prawn Rolls ($6.50) as a side and sharing platters for large groups, which range from $55 to $80.
Address: 138 Tampines Street 11, Singapore 521136
Opening hours: Wed-Sun, 1pm to 6pm; Fri, 2.45pm to 6pm
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
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