Behind Each Dish

(3/3)

I hope that [our customers] can understand the love and the passion. Even though it takes 15 minutes to get your food, [I hope that the customer thought] …it was cooked perfectly, the flavor was spot on, and that it was worth the wait.

There's one thing that is a little unique to a cart than a restaurant. When you go to a restaurant, you expect it to be at least 15 minutes. That would not be an issue. People tend to think that cart food is fast food. It can be, but there are a lot of really good carts in the city with really good chef behind them, and it some might take a little bit of extra time.

You are really getting a restaurant quality food just out of a window.

Thank you Straits Kitchen for your awesomeness, and for allowing us a glimpse into your lives.

Photo taken by Katharine Chen and Victoria Chen Photography

(2/3)

Right now we have a soup. It is a broth soup. It sounds like it is something that is really simple. It is [just] a soup right? But honestly when she is serving the soup, it is in no means the fastest thing we do. Part of it is because you are still building flavors at that point.

So she has the garlic ginger shallot mixture that gets fried because you are adding flavors. Then she add something else, and it gives it more flavor. Then you put in the already prepared stock, and then you have to taste it so that you can get the flavor the way you want. So even for something that sounds as simple as soup that you would just ladle is not actually simple.

It is [also] because [ingredients] can vary. You can buy a shallot or an orange. One day, the orange might taste sweet, another day the orange might be more tart. Even if an orange is "an orange", it is really not [just] an orange. Even though we have recipes that we follow to a T, each batch is slightly different and you have to make adjustments as you go.

I am trying to give you what I remember as a child and as an adult eating [Malaysian food]. I am trying to pass that flavor profile and experience to you when I give you the bowl of laksa or samba. I was very lucky to grow up with my grandmother living with us. We had home cooked meals everyday. That’s what I missed and want to bring to others.

You always have to make minor adjustments here and there, and to try to give you the bowl that I am proud of giving to you. There is nothing more frustrating or disappointing to give you something that we are not proud of. If I am proud of giving you something and you don't like it, I am sorry. But if I gave you something that I am not proud of and you don’t like it, then I feel bad. You paid me to do something; I have to give you my hundred percent.

So sometimes it can be 17 minutes [before it is ready] because I am trying to get it right. Sometimes when I am cooking the 17th bowl, my palette is numb. I have to ask her, "hey taste this" because I can't taste anything anymore.

We are trying to give you something we are proud of. As long as we have that, I think we are okay.

Like, comment with your guess for a chance to win a $20 gift card to the feature cart. Last chance to guess! Final photo and quote pairing for this food cart will be released Monday at 11:00 a.m.

Photo taken by Katharine and Victoria Chen Photography