Singapore, January 10, 2010
SPICES
Who: Madam Dallar Bibi (above) , 46
What: BB Spices
Where: Geylang Serai Market, 15 Geylang Serai, 01-166, open: 4am to6pm daily
If you need a spice mix for a dish, chances are, Madam Dallar will know the formula for the spice recipe and concoct it in a jiffy from more than 14 types of freshly ground spices, such as coriander and cumin, sold at her store.
Her impressive knowledge about different spice recipes, which she learnt while helping out at her late grandmother’s stall as a child, is why restaurateurs and wedding caterers flock to her for ready-to-cook spice mixes.
She also accommodates requests from customers who want spice mixes blended according to their specifications.
Mr Quentin Pereira, 38, executive chef of Quentin’s The Eurasian Restaurant in Ceylon Road, for example, has been getting his customised spice mix for feng, a Eurasian offal stew, from Madam Dallar since he chanced upon her stall in 2008.
He says: “Other spice sellers might find it troublesome, but she is willing to follow my instructions and blend the spices to my liking.” The chef used to grind the spices himself with a blender but its texture is not as fine as the powdered spice that she gets from spice mills in Bedok and Hougang.
Madam Dallar, an Indian Muslim, quit her clerical job in the civil service to help her ailing mother run the spice shop in 1989. Her husband works in an accounting firm and they have two grown-up children.
She says she does not regret her decision to give up her office job to become a wet market spice seller, even if it means dealing with fussy customers, because she likes interacting with people.
“If customers are unhappy with something, I will do what I can to make them happy. If they want a better price, I will try my best to give them a discount.”
Guide to the best stalls:
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| Guide to the best stalls: Fruits |
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| Guide to the best stalls: Vegetables |
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| Guide to the best stalls: Meat |
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| Guide to the best stalls: Tofu & Noodles |
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| Guide to the best stalls: Fish |
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| Guide to the best stalls: Eggs |
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