“He’s my assistant. But he mostly dabbles in the cucumber department,” chortles Navamalar, 39, as her 14-year-old dutifully works his way to the storeroom.
In the tiny kitchen in Subang, hair caps fastened, the mother-son duo get down to the last step of today’s order, stirring two huge pots of dhal curry and nasi minyak — Navamalar’s signature dishes.
After ensuring the fragrant nasi minyak and dhal curry is up to expectations, she carefully removes the aluminium foil cover from a huge tray on the table — revealing tender pieces of chicken immersed in an aromatic gravy. This is Navamalar’s legendary chicken rendang.
With the help of her sister and son, today’s orders are carefully packed to be delivered to their intended recipients. But her day is far from over — in fact, it’s just begun as she rushes to return home in time for her online classes.
“I’m actually a practising lawyer with Messrs Navamalar & Partners, been one for almost 14 years. I’m currently reading my Master of Laws hence the added hecticness to my already packed schedule,” smiles Navamalar, as she wipes the sweat off her brow.
“Cooking has always been my passion. As a young girl, I watched my grandmother and mother make the most amazing dishes and I followed suit,” said Navamalar adding that she began cooking at the tender age of 12.
But starting a catering business and cooking for Covid-19 patients was never in the books until her entire family was infected with the virus in October last year.
“We were admitted to the Sungai Buloh Hospital. My mum who was at Stage 3 of the virus was craving for idli so even though I was stuck in hospital, I reached out to a few home cooks and asked if they could deliver 20 to 25 pieces to us.”
Everyone turned her down. Many insisted they would only deliver for a minimum order of 50 pieces. Others were afraid of getting infected with the virus if they delivered food to the hospital.
Heartbroken, she channelled her frustrations into cooking once she fully recovered from the virus.
“A few of my friends contracted the virus so without hesitation, I cooked whatever they were craving for and delivered it to them. Usually, Covid-19 patients crave for sour and spicy food because one of the symptoms is the loss of taste and smell.”
“After cooking up a storm, I realised I could do this for other patients craving for home-cooked food at a reasonable price,” said Navamalar.
With that, D’Warren Kitzhen was launched at the end of January.
This ‘kitzhen’ is unique because the main aim is to cook whatever a Covid-19 patient is craving for. Navamalar also tries to keep the prices low and even personally delivers the food to them.
“Since I had the whole Covid-19 hospital experience, I understand how to get the food to them,” she said, adding that she also delivers to quarantine centres and patients declared ‘Person Under Investigation’ (PUI).
According to Navamalar, the Covid-19 patients relish her dhal curry, sambal ikan bilis and fish curry.
But Navamalar does more than just cook and deliver food to patients. She also delivers medication and groceries to those under home quarantine, as well as cooks for frontliners and charity organisations.
“I deliver food to frontliners and fulfil private orders specifically on weekends but for Covid-19 and PUI patients, my service and food is available at all hours.
“I’ve recently begun cooking for charity organisations because there are many people who are constantly looking to donate food but have very little time on hand.”
Being a mother, lawyer and running the D’Warren Kitzhen is no easy feat and Navamalar said it would not be possible without the support of her family and friends.
“Thankfully my legal firm is home-based so I am able to multitask and my weekends are spent cooking and delivering the orders.
“My family is my backbone — my son does the groceries and helps me out in the kitchen, my sister helps me with the orders before she heads to work and my father helps by cleaning the dishes.”
Even her friends began helping in simple ways once they found out about her business. Some even banded together and sent her a massive pot to cook big orders.
“Without the support of my family and friends, I couldn’t possibly enjoy the success I have today,” smiles Navamalar, expressing her appreciation of them.
To place your order, you can WhatsApp Navamalar at 011 27572374 or message D’Warren Kitzhen’s Facebook for more information.