GEORGE TOWN, Dec 18 — Walking along the narrow Ah Quee Street, you will probably not even notice this small nondescript food stall with the signboard “Maj Muslim Food.”
The tiny squat structure houses a counter laden with pots of curries; plastic tables and chairs are arranged on a small plot of land next to it.
A drinks counter, where glasses of teh tarik are skillfully poured, is pushed against a corner; there is a small kitchen at the back of the building.
Behind the counter, Abdul Ahadhu Mohamed Ali ladles out gravy and curries into plates of rice in between accepting payment from a long queue of customers.
Next to him, a worker continuously rolls out dough and pan fries chapatis piece by piece.
“My grandfather Seeni Mohideen started the business back in the 1940s using a push cart,” Abdul Ahadhu said.
Back then, their customer base was mostly labourers and workers in the inner city of George Town.
“My grandfather served rice and roti canai for the workers’ breakfast and lunch,” he said.
Over the years, the push cart was upgraded to a permanent food stall when they built this small building to house it.
Abdul Ahadhu’s father, Mohamed Ali Jinnah, took over the food stall in 1977.
“That’s when he named the stall Maj which is the initials of his name,” he said.
Abdul Ahadhu’s mother, Sahabunisa Ahmad, then started cooking for the stall and they introduced chapatis instead of continuing with roti canai.
“I grew up helping my father run this stall and till today, my mother continues to cook the dishes every morning,” he said.
Sahabunisa would start cooking very early in the morning to prepare a variety of chicken, beef and mutton dishes to go with their rice each day.
Abdul Ahadhu said they want to maintain the home-cooked flavours of their dishes which is why his mother had to come in early each day.
“Although we have a lot of regulars and visitors, we have no intention of expanding to become a big fancy restaurant,” he said.
He said Maj started out as a place for workers to enjoy no-frills good home-cooked meals at reasonable prices and it will continue with this tradition.
“Our customers love our home-cooked flavours and our environment, a casual and relaxed open-air space, and this is why they will keep coming back,” he said.
Maj is well-known among locals in the area as the chapati place for breakfast and it is also a popular place for a hearty lunch of rice and curries.
The stall offers four types of mutton; cooked in kurma, roasted, fried with onions and minced; three types of chicken, two types of beef along with fish curries.
“Our most popular dishes are the chicken fried with onions and mutton fried with onions, other than our curries,” he said.
On Fridays, the stall offers a Briyani Special just for a change.
A favourite haunt among locals, the food stall is often crowded as seating is limited.
The best time to visit is during a lull between lunch and tea break when the lunch crowd has somewhat eased.
Maj Muslim Food
47, Ah Quee Street
George Town.
Time: 7am-7pm
Closed on Sundays
