It's not every day you find a young person who chooses to become full-time hawker.

Meet Derwin Chan, 25. He loves chicken rice so much that he decided to open his own Hainanese chicken rice business, Sinn Ji Hainanese Chicken Rice at Novena Regency.

"I actually like cooking since I was young. I was taught by my grandmother (and) I cook a lot together with my family."

Chan gave up a career in animation to pursue his culinary dreams, driven solely by passion.

He quit his job and took on an unpaid apprenticeship with a chicken rice chef at Shenton House who had 20 years of experience in making chicken rice.

"It was quite tough because he was actually quite strict in his quality," said Chan, "He made sure that I got everything right." According to Chan, the chicken meat must be tender and fresh, while the rice has to be fragrant and well-textured.

At that time, Chan's family didn't approve of his move, fearing that a life in the food and beverage industry would be too tiring for him.

Going all out for passion

It is quite evident that Chan goes all out to pursue his passion. This passion even extended to how Chan created his own method of cooking chicken.

When he first started making chicken rice, Chan found that the chicken often came out unevenly cooked.

"Either the chicken breast meat would be overcooked or the insides would be undercooked," Chan elaborated.

To improve his technique, Chan devised an innovative plan involving a custom-made tube which, when inserted into the chicken and dunked into water, ensured that water could keep "circulating inside so that the chicken will be well-cooked inside and outside".

The hard work paid off. Chan's chicken rice was fragrant and had a light, fluffy texture. The white chicken meat was tender, silky and had a thin gelatinous layer of fat under its skin.

To be fair, we're not food connoisseurs so we know nothing about what actually distinguishes excellent chicken rice from good chicken rice. But Sinn Ji's plate of chicken rice was tasty, to say the least, and at $6.50 a set, it is decent.

Chan's attention to detail in his cooking was apparent, from the chicken itself down to the ginger used for dipping (which, he informs us, is personally sourced from Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market).

Why Indonesia? Chan mentioned the Indonesian variety has a 'more citrusy and pungent taste' which brings out the fragrance of the rice when eaten together.

A sense of satisfaction

A year into his chicken rice business, Chan is happy to report that sales has been brisk. He now sells more chickens than when he first started out.

Of course running a restaurant is no mean feat. Being a small business (he runs a small team of four staff, including his girlfriend, his girlfriend's sister, and two chefs), Chan's day starts at 8.30am and only ends after 10.30pm.

But these long hours don't faze the young man who gets his energy from seeing people enjoy his food.

"When I was working in the design industry, I actually felt very tired when I worked long hours," Chan explained, "but here (in Sinn Ji) when I work long hours, I don't feel tired at all."

"As long as my customers enjoy the food I serve - that's my satisfaction," Chan smiles, "I actually gain a lot of joy from this business".

Chan's story is proof that commitment and passion can take one far.

As our interview with Chan drew to a close, we asked him what he would do differently if he had to redo this whole chicken rice business again.

After pausing for a minute, he lets on that given a chance he would start "on a smaller scale, like in a coffee shop instead of a restaurant" which would be much easier to manage.

We're sure that coffee shop stall or restaurant, Chan's drive and passion will bring him far in his hawkerpreneur journey.

Sinn Ji Hainanese Chicken Rice

Address: 275 Thomson Road, Novena Regency #01-05, Singapore 307645

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Top photo by Joshua Lee

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