UNINESS

Upon entering the alley between Jalan Petaling and Jalan Sultan, the warm, comforting smell of delicious food makes one’s mouth water. Situated directly behind Kong Wooi Fong Tea Merchants, tucked beneath gray tarpaulin sheets, is the last remaining stir-fry stall in this alley – Sai Kee, which offers homely Cantonese cuisine made to order.

In the past, the alleyways around Petaling Street were filled with simple food stalls and temporary seating, offering a variety of affordable meals while also serving as community gathering spots. However, in recent years, such “Dai Pai Dong” hawker culture has gradually declined, and now the number of food stalls in the alley is few and far between. Despite the abundance of restaurants and cafés along the main streets, laneway hawkers are the go-to for comfort food.

The stall has always occupied the same spot since being established decades ago by Uncle Lai Seng Wai’s grandfather, who hailed from Panyu in Guangdong, China. At first it was an unnamed stall with no fixed menu, which served claypot chicken rice at one point, economy rice at another, and changed to serving Hokkien noodles when Uncle Lai’s father inherited the stall. Towards the end of 1969, the menu was revamped to serving stir-fry. Uncle Lai sees no reason for change when he took over the reins, therefore he retains his father’s cooking method and recipes.

Popular dishes include braised fish with tofu, sweet and sour pork, french beans with roasted pork, and fish paste soup, among others. All ingredients are freshly purchased and prepared daily. The signature fish balls are made from wild-caught mackerel, chopped, mixed, and beaten by hand to achieve a firm, chewy texture.

Bright orange flames momentarily shoot up as Uncle Lai Seng Wai ladles oil into a hot wok, engulfing the ingredients upon their being added. Uncle Lai stirs deftly with a stainless steel spatula, then instead of tossing the wok, he covers it with a flat metal lid and let the flames lick around the wok. Within a matter of moments, he removes the lid – the food is thoroughly cooked and ready to be served.

The fiery stir-fry is a technique that combines speed and precision, maintaining a high temperature throughout the cooking process. The intense heat elevates the flavors and imbues “wok hei” (breath of the wok), an enticing smoky savory aroma, to the food. The practice of covering the wok with a lid instead of tossing speeds up cooking, improving evaporation as well as flavor due to Maillard reaction. 

Among the Petaling Street community, the stall is verbally known as “Ah Sai” (scrawny lad), the nickname of Uncle Lai’s father due to his rake-thin physique. Later on, it was registered as the official name to be displayed on the stall’s signboard. The main clientele consists of long-time regulars whose families have been frequenting the stall over three generations. In recent years, the crowd consists of more office workers from the nearby area and tourists. 

Uncle Lai, who helms the wok at Sai Kee, displays his multitasking ability to handle four woks simultaneously during peak hours. He is also in charge of procuring goods from the wholesale market late at night after work, and picking up miscellaneous ingredients from the supermarket and wet market in the morning before heading to work. His younger brother Hoong Wye is in charge of taking orders, cutting ingredients and preparing steamed dishes, with the help of their aunt and a few workers. 

For Uncle Lai and his brother, helping their parents since a young age and taking over the family business in adulthood comes to them as something natural. They have been working together for more than 40 years, and as business partners in the past two decades, each taking care of their own duties, continuing the legacy of the alley’s bustling food scene. Unfortunately, there is no one to take over. The food industry requires constant, tireless work, and few are willing to accept the long hours and hard labor. Like many other food stalls that have gradually disappeared from the alley, once they can no longer work, they have no choice but to close.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2024 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

At dawn, the sound of bells and conch shells from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple on Jalan Tun H.S. Lee in Kuala Lumpur heralds the start of daily prayer sessions. At the same time, about a dozen flower garland vendors set up their stalls in the adjacent alley. Fresh flowers in pure white, bright yellow, and vibrant red are skillfully woven into garlands and displayed on stands, creating an eye-catching scenery. Occasionally stirred by a playful breeze, the garlands emit delightful fragrances.

The Petaling Street area is a cultural melting pot. While the majority of residents are of Chinese ethnicity, there are also many from other ethnic groups, each building their own temples in the neighbourhood. The Hindu temple and the Kuan Ti Temple sit across from each other, coexisting peacefully for over a century. A row of garland stalls are located next to the Hindu temple, providing convenience for worshippers from both temples to purchase garlands as offerings. Uncle Anamalay Nadaraj (Kartik) has been making and selling garlands in the Petaling Street area for the longest duration, working up to fifteen hours a day i conjunction with the temple’s opening hours, and rarely taking a break in over thirty years. During major festivals like Thaipusam and Deepavali, he even work overnight to fulfill orders.

Uncle Kartik was born into a family constantly filled with the fragrance of flowers. His grandfather planted various flowers in their yard, and from a young age, he helped to pluck fresh flowers in the morning, hence developing an interest and learning to make garlands from his grandfather and mother. After graduating from high school, he set up his own stall in Brickfields to make and sell garlands. By chance, he obtained a business license in the Petaling Street area and relocated there. Due to the different demographic makeup of the area, compared to the predominantly Indian community in Brickfields, he expanded his customer base to include people from all three major ethnic groups as well as foreign tourists.

Flowers commonly used for making garlands include jasmine, chrysanthemums, roses, and carnations. Hindus choose flowers based on the preferences of individual deities, while Chinese typically buy lotus flowers to worship Guanyin, and tourists often favor colorful orchids. In addition to flowers, Uncle Kartik’s stall also sells items like limes and incense, a one-stop shop for worshippers before they enter the temple.

Customers can customize the size and flower selection of garlands based on different occasions and usage, from small ones to hang in cars for fragrance, medium ones for welcoming guests or during traditional Indian weddings, to large ones used for entrance or venue decorations. Different colors and types of flowers carry different meanings across cultures; for example, red garlands are chosen for Indian funerals, while white garlands are preferred for Chinese funerals. In recent years, gifting garlands instead of bouquets at graduation ceremonies became a trend, which Uncle Kartik finds amusing.

By weaving garlands for over thirty years, Uncle Kartik’s family also flourished. As he is getting advanced in years, he has started hiring help. Unfortunately, few local youths are willing to work in this trade, so he brought in staff from his ancestral home in India. Uncle Kartik’s son helps in managing social media and online orders during his free time and runs errands for deliveries. Perhaps in the future, he will inherit this family business, allowing the vibrant garlands to continue spreading their fragrance in Petaling Street.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2024 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD