Students pour out through the front gates and into their waiting transports. But not all of them, though.
Right across the street from the school is a nasi kandar stall where there are already people lining up to place their orders. A few students walk across with their parents to join the line.
Actually, Big Mommy Nasi Kandar, with its huge signage board and bright yellow canopy, is hard to miss. Running the show is enterprising 22-year-old Tharrshaan Kanaka Raja.
Yellow is something of a theme at the stall, with the man himself and his mother, Kaveetha Velu, often garbed in yellow T-shirts.
There is plenty of food, all served in the traditional clay pots that some Indian households have in their kitchens.
The bestselling dishes here are of the spicy variety. Many of the regular patrons swear by Big Mommy’s chicken varuval and chicken sambal, which are daily staples at the stall.
The varuval has an intense flavour, courtesy of the many herbs and spices in its delectable paste. But the sambal, too, packs a punch, making it a good contender for the main dish to go with your rice. That said, there is nothing stopping you from taking servings of both.
Other dishes that also appear on the menu from time to time are stir-fried cabbage, stir-fried mustard greens and fried mushrooms.
Also worth a try are the chicken cooked in soy sauce and anchovy sambal. And for the youngsters, they can never go wrong with the fried chicken or fried fish.
If you’re wondering about the price, worry not. Big Mommy is the place to go if you are looking for a meal that’s easy on your wallet. Prices usually range from just RM10 to RM20.
Speaking to FMT Lifestyle, Tharrshaan disclosed that the little stall was just the first step in his grand plan to open a restaurant “someday in the near future.”
He also revealed that he had a career in event management before he delved into the food industry.
That line of work happened to be the hardest hit during the Covid pandemic, leaving Tharrshaan desperate for an alternative source of income.
“I needed to do something to survive,” he said. He already was fond of cooking at home, having been taught by his mother and his sister, a professional chef.
He decided then to start a home-based food catering and delivery business. This eventually led, in 2022, to his opening the small stall in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong.
It’s quite an achievement, but it does require hard work and dedication.
“We start cooking at six o’clock in the morning and we normally finish cooking everything by ten o’clock. By eleven, the shop must be up and running.”
His aunt is the one who does most of the cooking and, indeed, that’s where the name Big Mommy comes from. It’s a rough translation from Tamil of the word “periamma”.
In addition to the chicken varuval and chicken sambal, Tharrshaan recommends trying out his biryani. He claims that there are up to a hundred different varieties of it.
“Every week we will change the menu. So, every time you come back, there will always be something different.”
It’s frustrating that his biryani is available only on some Wednesdays and sometimes on Fridays. So, getting a taste of the good stuff is never a certainty.
Big Mommy Nasi Kandar
Jalan BK 5/2
Bandar Kinrara 5
47180 Puchong
Selangor
Operating hours: 11am-3pm (Closed on Mondays)
Contact: 010-262 0281