A formidable cook who uses recipes passed down by her own mother, she was selling cooked food at her grocery store before expanding to a hawker stall in 2001. She also named it after her youngest daughter, Nurul Huda, 36.
At her stall, Halipah offers generously-portioned dishes like nasi lemak, mee rebus, mee soto, mee siam and lontong. Concerned about her customers’ budget, her food initially cost just $1.50 a bowl in 2001 for affordability.
Over the years, her children had to persuade her to adjust the prices to cover higher costs. But her stall menu is currently still priced at a very reasonable $3.50 per item in 2025.
Her son Mohamed Fadli bin Basir, 45, recalled his mother’s reluctance when he first brought up the subject of raising prices. “She said, ‘What about the residents? What about the elderly?’ But I told her we had no choice, and she understood,” shared Fadli.
He and his wife also just start operating their new stall at Qihua Primary School’s canteen, where they will serve “healthier versions” of Nurul Delights’ food.
A father of eight kids, Fadli said: “I hope that I can encourage my family members, especially my children, to learn the ropes in F&B. I can also challenge myself to cater to school children by preparing different types of healthy food.”
