Letter to Editor
I READ about the bah kut teh business operated by an Indian entrepreneur in Focus Malaysia today.
This Chinese pork rib herbal soup which originated, according to reports, in Klang is a favourite among non-vegetarian Indian diners.
As stated in the report quite a lot of Indian customers have over the years developed a liking for this Chinese dish. This is truly a Malaysian dish as it is not found in other countries including China.
It is good to note that an Indian has acquired the culinary expertise to make this dish very much like the Chinese and is doing well drawing customers from different communities in his Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur stall.
One should appreciate this young entrepreneur for willing to be a trailblazer instead of selling the usual menu by Indians.
Instead of confining themselves to traditional Indian fare such as banana leaf restaurants, vegetarian eateries and curry house and the like, Indians entrepreneurs should look into other businesses where there is big money to be gained given the nation’s diversity and fondness for eating out.
I feel that Indians need to branch out into the Indian seafood business. Indian seafood is aromatic and tempting with the unique blend of spices and condiments and stands apart from other seafood categories.
Indian food and in particular seafood is regarded as one of the best in the world, and it is surprising that it has not been popularised here. We have Chinese and Malay seafood restaurants but hardly any Indian seafood restaurants even in urban areas.
A wide array of Indian seafood can be made available in the restaurant just like in the Chinese restaurants.
Various kinds of seafood – prawns, crabs, fish, fish head, squid, chicken, mutton and other meats as well as a wide variety of noodles, fried rice, breads, and many others can be added to the menu in the Indian seafood restaurants.
One of the important ways to attract Indian and other customers is to make available drinks such as beer and other alcoholic drinks.
A lot of Indians especially within the 20-60 age group do consume beer and other alcoholic drinks as can be seen in the Chinese restaurants Many of them are big spenders also. After a hard day’s work, they would like to enjoy a beer or two to go with the food.
Indian entrepreneurs opting for Indian seafood restaurants need to bear in mind that they need to cater to families and individuals. This being the case a larger space, possibly an end shop lot is needed to partition the family and individual (drinks) sections to ensure that the business will be viable.
It will be even better if it were a large detached restaurant with ample parking space. I had brought up this topic about Indian seafood restaurants in the local media about 15 years ago and my letter was published in The Star.
Surprisingly despite the good prospects and viability of the Indian seafood restaurants, it did not catch the attention or fancy of Indian entrepreneurs.
There are a lot of Indian, Thai, Myanmarese, Indonesian and Vietnamese chefs and cooks who have become experts in cooking seafood by working in local eateries and they can be roped in to be employed in the Indian seafood restaurants.
There are good prospects for Indian seafood restaurants to gain commercial ground and becoming viable and profitable. Indian eateries and restaurants should explore new business options and Indian seafood restaurants are one of them.
V. Thomas is a Focus Malaysia viewer.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Tripadvisor
