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Hawker Maria Siew is hoping nostalgia will spark interest in her family's century-old yusheng recipe - a crowd favourite she has not sold in over a decade.
The 75-year-old, who has been running Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken in Chinatown Complex Food Centre since 2011, is looking for a successor for this traditional dish.
The price? An eye-raising $68,000.
Speaking to AsiaOne outside her stall on Saturday (Feb 8), Maria said the yusheng recipe was created by her father, the owner of the famous Lam Thong Tea House, back in 1926.
After learning how to prepare the dish when she was 12, the elderly hawker added it was available all-year-round - not just during Chinese New Year - at her previous stall in People's Park Food Centre.
Maria said: "I used to hire many workers to prepare the yusheng. It's tough to sell it here [in Chinatown Complex] because it's only me and an assistant here now."
"Don't assume that my yusheng is ordinary. Everyone told me it was delicious and different from other yusheng dishes they tried.
Maria has the yusheng ingredients in her stall, and said that anyone who is willing to cough up $68,000 will be able to learn her family's secret recipe "right away".
No one has taken up the offer so far, she said, while declining to reveal the ingredients in her ‘secret’ recipe when asked.
"I'm not bluffing - my yusheng is really special. If you have two or three outlets, you can easily make your money back," said Maria.
Hawker also selling 'secret' soy sauce chicken recipe
Maria had also said previously that she was looking for a successor for her hawker business.
She placed an advertisement in the newspaper in late January this year with an asking price of $138,000 for her 'secret' soy sauce chicken recipe.
Maria had previously tried selling the business for $680,000 in 2018, and subsequently lowered the price several times.
"I am overwhelmed by the long working hours," said Maria then. "My children are teachers and no one is willing to take over the business. I hope to find a suitable buyer and retire peacefully."
While four individuals have since expressed interest, the hawker told AsiaOne that she will continue running the stall despite her initial plans to retire on Feb 12.
"I might remain in the hawker business and sell something different if someone bought my soy sauce chicken recipe," added Maria. "I will think about that when the time comes.
"It would be a pity if no one gets to try my dishes when I'm gone."
Several customers told AsiaOne on Saturday (Feb 8) that they have been patronising Maria's stall - even when she was at People's Park - for over two decades.
Jimmy Teo, 81, said that he travels from his Tampines home every month for his soy sauce chicken fix.
"The herbs she used… It's very authentic, like those in Hong Kong," said the retiree, who bought two whole chickens on Saturday. "I'm not sure the next person who takes over the business will continue the same recipe.
"Anyone can cook soy sauce chicken… It's the skill and dedication."
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