With her late mother as her biggest inspiration in her food business, Nur Hanie Mohammed seeks comfort in cooking nutritious food from the heart. As the recent champion of Maggi Wanita Cukup Berani, Hanie talks about her journey to where she is today.
Healing with every homemade meal
Behind every thoughtfully crafted meal is a cook who curates the details of their dishes down to the core. Recognising this, the food company brand Maggi aims to celebrate cooks through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaign this year. As part of the campaign, they also support a non-governmental organisation (NGO) — the Penan Women Project — which benefits from donations given by Maggi.
In this article, we celebrate Nur Hanie Mohammed, a cook from Ringkat Mama, a confinement meal service and weekly meal provider. She is also Maggi’s recent Wanita Cukup Berani Champion, having won a cooking contest organised by the brand. A graduate with a degree in film and animation, her journey into the culinary world was unexpected.
Having paved the way in the animation industry based in Kuala Lumpur, Hanie’s unexpected foray into the food industry stemmed from a desire to feel her mother’s presence after she passed away.
“After almost a decade working in Kuala Lumpur, I returned to Kuching in 2010 to care for my parents. My mother had a stroke when I was 15 years old, and with my brothers moving out, I decided to come back to look after her.
“After my mother’s stroke, she often mentioned forgetting a lot of things and being unable to do what she used to. Despite occasional bickering, she taught me various things, which became the foundation of my cooking today,” said the 43-year-old.
Remembering mother
To her, food can evoke emotions and connect a person to their roots. Whenever Hanie recalls her childhood, it often revolves around memories of the meals her parents prepared.
“Food can be seen as a kind of ritual, like how my father used to make French toast for us every weekend. It is a small gesture, but it becomes a cherished memory as you grow older.”
Growing up, Hanie frequently moved around as her father worked in the civil service. Following him to each new posting, Hanie recalls the different places by the meals her mother lovingly cooked.
“When I was a pre-teen, I began showing interest in the kitchen. My mother noticed and gave me her Home Science subject book from the ‘60s or ‘70s. It’s similar to our Kemahiran Hidup book, containing simple recipes and guides on sewing.”
Hanie would follow the recipes, and if they worked out, she would happily flaunt them and ask her family members to taste them.
“I was always curious to try out new recipes. My mother found it a hassle and reminded me to clean up afterward.”
When asked which recipe she remembers most from her mother, Hanie shared a vivid memory of her mother making cola chicken. This memory stood out because her mother didn’t stop at using that carbonated drink.
She also experimented with lemon-lime soda chicken — “the chicken ended up pale. But she didn’t stop there. She also tried making orange-flavoured carbonated chicken, which turned out fluorescent orange,” Hanie said, laughing as she reminisced about those days.
Nevertheless, her mother’s determination and effort in experimenting ignited a different motivation in Hanie. Building on the foundation of the Coca-Cola chicken recipe, Hanie created her favourite dish — honey ginger chicken.
As she continues to recall memories from her younger days with her mother, she talks about her business Ringkat Mama, inspired by her mother’s collection of tingkats (tiffin carriers).
“She would pack food in a tingkat, which she called a ringkat, whenever we went to the beach with our friends and family. There would be dishes like chicken, nasi lemak, and others. That’s why tingkat is something familiar and comforting to me.”
Elaborating on familiarity and comfort — these two adjectives aptly describe Hanie’s journey and her food business. When her mother passed away in 2021, she was in her fourth month of pregnancy. Fast forward to when her child was six months old, Hanie felt her world continuing to crumble due to her postpartum depression, exacerbated by the loss.
“After I gave birth, I felt depressed because I didn’t have my mother around, and that’s when I realised how much I missed her.”
Dejected by the loss, she felt she needed to muster the courage to move on.
“The only way I felt connected to her was when I started cooking. Cooking made me feel less sad. The things that I attempted to cook reminded me of her.”
As she began experimenting in the kitchen, preparing heartfelt meals for her family, Hanie could sense her mother’s presence.
“When I cook for others, I feel my mother’s presence. Cooking connects me to her, makes me feel better, and alleviates my depression.”
Homecook meals from the heart
By serving homecooked meals through Ringkat Mama, Hanie found her opportunity to heal through the food she prepared. Explaining the significance of homecooked meals, she compares them to a child crafting a gift from scratch with their hands and effort.
“So it’s something that you craft, where you know what goes into it, and you understand the thought behind it.
“For me, it’s special because you know exactly what you’re preparing for your family. I think that’s what they mean by food cooked with love — you take great care in every aspect of the meal.”
Initially, she started by providing confinement meals for mothers who had just given birth. Through this service, Hanie felt she could support mothers both physically and emotionally. Drawing from lessons on confinement food from her confinement lady and mother-in-law, she officially launched the business at the end of 2022.
With cooking in the kitchen as her therapy, Hanie emphasises how it has helped her navigate through the grieving process.
“Taking action to divert your mind from what depresses you really helps. For me, engaging in activities is crucial. Cooking became a coping mechanism, and preparing meals for others, just like my mother did, feels therapeutic.”
Balancing housework, family life, and childcare, Hanie shared that each day, she begins her routine at 5.30am upon receiving orders.
“I start by preparing my child’s school snack box and defrosting the ingredients needed for the day. Then, I cook the rice. Meanwhile, my husband prepares our daughter for school. Once they leave, I begin cooking.”
By 10.30am, Hanie delivers lunch to her customers. Afterwards, she attends to any necessary chores. If there are dinner orders, she starts preparing them at 3pm, aiming for delivery by 5pm.
When asked if her routine is exhausting, Hanie admitted there are days when she feels that way. However, she motivates herself by putting on a fun show or music while cooking.
“I try to overcome demotivation and exhaustion.”
Sharing further on her enjoyment of preparing lunch menus, she noted how it allows her to incorporate creativity into her dishes. She gets excited and hyped up, especially when she receives positive feedback about her experiments.
“Seeing everything come together makes me feel accomplished. It is a really good feeling when customers offer positive reviews.”
On certain days, Hanie enhances the flavours by adding a touch of Maggi Cukup Rasa.
“It helps hit the right notes. Sometimes I also play around with Maggi chicken stock and Maggi tom yum seasoning.”
To explore her homemade meals, Hanie regularly updates Ringkat Mama on social media, specifically on Instagram @ringkat_mama.
