Chef leaves behind children in Ipoh to open charcoal-roasted meat stall at Jalan Berseh

When Lim Kah Chuan - who's better known as Xiao Di (meaning 'little brother' in Mandarin) - first came to Singapore from Ipoh 13 years ago, he barely had much knowledge or skill when it came to cooking. 

Fast forward to today and the 30-year-old Malaysian has a wealth of culinary experience under his belt.

In fact, he recently started his own business, Xiao Di Charcoal Roasted Delights. 

Located at Jalan Berseh, the four-month old coffee shop stall sells the usual roast meat items — char siew, siew yoke (roast pork belly) and roast duck. 

But what makes the food stand out is how Xiao Di prepares it using the skills he picked up over the past few years as a hawker. 

It was around 10am in the morning when AsiaOne visited the stall and when we arrived, Xiao Di was already hanging up his beautifully roasted meats at the storefront. 

He later told us that he usually starts food preparations around 7am. 

At the opening timing around 10.30am, we watched as customers trickled in to order their food. 

And in between serving the hungry patrons, Xiao Di shared with us more about how he began his humble hawker journey. 

He worked for others before he worked for himself 

When Xiao Di came to Singapore at the tender age of 17, he did not expect to end up working in a kitchen. 

All he knew was that he needed a job and he would take anything that was available. 

While he did have some cooking skills that he picked up back when he lived in his hometown, it was a far cry from what he possesses today. 

The first role he got was as a kitchen hand for an economic rice stall at Yew Tee. 

While there, he was also given the opportunity to have his first taste of roasting different types of meat. 

He toiled at that stall for around a year before it closed. 

Over the next few years, as he jumped from job to job in different kitchens, he picked up various meat roasting skills, including how to prepare the meats with either charcoal or gas grills. 

With all of Xiao Di's acquired knowledge, he improvised and came up with his own cooking techniques. 

And when he had questions, he always made sure to ask his supervisors and peers so he could improve himself. 

His last stint before starting Xiao Di Charcoal Roasted Delights was at Tian Cheng Charcoal Roasted, a now-defunct kopitiam stall at Whampoa Drive.

He was there for five years as the head roast master before leaving earlier this year in May. 

Initially, he had plans to work at a hotel in Sentosa and while he did get an offer, he turned it down so he could start his own business. 

"I'm still young, so I thought, for my family's sake and for myself, if there is such an opportunity, why not just give this a shot," he told us in Mandarin. 

"It will definitely be hard, but I have to try and overcome these challenges." 

With the support of his cousin and cousin-in-law Alex, they built up the business from scratch, with Alex managing the marketing side of things and Xiao Di manning the kitchen. 

While Xiao Di and his wife both work in Singapore, they've had no choice but to leave their two beloved children - one is seven and the other soon turns two - behind in Ipoh with family. 

And while he does make an effort to go back to visit them as often as possible, it's been hard considering his hectic work schedule as a hawker. 

"Of course I miss them," he told us with an emotional smile.

His love for cooking with charcoal 

When it comes to roasting meats, Xiao Di's preferred method is with a charcoal grill. 

"Everyone's cooking techniques are different and there are many methods," he said. 

He also explained that working with charcoal can be pretty challenging. 

"You have to really control the fire. It's not like gas, where you can control the temperature. But for charcoal, you need a lot of patience, you have to keep observing the meat.

"So it takes a longer time to cook the meat." 

And though the stall opens at 10.30am, sometimes, this has to be delayed because the charcoal fire conditions are are not right. 

Out of all the proteins he works with, Xiao Di revealed the char siew is the hardest to perfect and requires the most work. 

"The process of making char siew is more complex and takes time," he shared. 

To get that beautiful caramelisation, the heavy piece of meat - which is strung up on a metal hanger - has to be brought in and out of the charcoal grill furnace several times throughout the roasting process. 

In between doing that, he douses the meat in copious amount of sauce, giving it a beautiful glazed sheen. 

Digging into the roast meats 

Xiao Di Charcoal Roasted Delights' menu is pretty straightforward and consists of siew yoke, char siew, roast duck and soy sauce chicken. 

For the char siew and siew yoke, it's being sold for $40 per kilogram, while the roast duck is $20 for half a bird and $38 for the whole thing. The soy sauce chicken goes for $13 for a half chicken and $24 for the whole thing. 

Of course, there's also the option of having the meats served in individual portions with rice. 

When I asked Xiao Di what his recommendations were, he told me with a laugh: "Everything is good!"

So, to let me have a little taste of everything (I just couldn't choose!) he kindly presented me with a small platter featuring the different cuts of protein. 

He also gave me a side of his homemade chilli and sambal. 

And while these condiments did add a nice, spicy kick, I felt that the roast meats were so good on their own that they didn't need it. 

I am very picky when it comes to my roast duck and was elated to find that Xiao Di's rendition ticks all the right boxes. 

When it comes to duck, a good fat to meat ratio is key or the entire protein will turn out dry and hard to chew. 

Xiao Di's nailed that and every slice of duck on my plate was succulent and juicy, while the glazed skin, though sinful, added another layer of flavour. It was also well-marinated and had subtle herbaceous notes. 

The char siew is a personal favourite of mine and all that effort Xiao Di put in to perfect it was well-worth it. 

It was caramelised beautifully and the fatty bits melted away in my mouth. 

Taste-wise, it was a good mix of sweet, savoury and smokey and you can really taste the smokiness, courtesy of the charcoal grill. 

And though the siew yoke was good, it paled in comparison to the other two roast meats. I would have preferred it if the crackling skin had more bite but flavour-wise, it was still on point. 

Address: 27 Jln Berseh, Singapore 200027
Opening hours: 10.30am till sold out 

ALSO READ: Son of Hjh Maimunah's founder starts own nasi padang stall after prison, wants to make it more affordable

melissateo@asiaone.com 

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.