Former HR executive takes over father's congee chain, husband leaves army captain job to help her

Before she became a hawker in 2020, 28-year-old Teresa Lim was enjoying what she called the ‘OL (office lady) life’ as a senior executive in human resources at Lazada. When the pandemic hit, her family’s hawker business struggled. Her father Vincent Lim, 55, is the founder of hawker chain Xin Mei Congee, which has two outlets in Ang Mo Kio and one at Old Airport Road Food Centre. The stalls serve creamy Cantonese congee with toppings like century egg, fish and pork.

At their longest-standing stall where she’s based, which has operated in Ang Mo Kio Central Market & Food Centre for around 20 years, Teresa told 8days.sg why she decided to take over the family business.

“Things were quite bad at the time due to dine-in restrictions and manpower issues. My parents told me they were thinking of winding down the business,” she said. 

With fond memories of her childhood spent at the stall, the commerce graduate from the University of Adelaide couldn't bear to see the business go under.

“I decided to quit my job to help them. They were not supportive at first and were afraid that I wasn’t going to do well. They said it’s really, really very tough to be a hawker. I had to convince them to let me try,” she shared.

The transition has not always been easy, according to Vincent.

“We definitely had our differences. I just let her hit the wall (fail) and learn from it,” he told us in Mandarin. “I can explain why something wouldn’t work, but she won’t truly understand or be convinced until she tries and fails on her own.”

Four years in, Teresa has proven her mettle: Vincent and his wife Doreen Ong, who helped with operations of their hawker business, are now “semi-retired”.

“She plans our roster so I just show up for work when she says so,” he quipped.

These days, he works around three days a week – a much more relaxed pace compared to before, when he rarely took any days off. Cheekily, he ‘warns’ his daughter: “I plan to fully retire in 2026!”

Last year, Teresa’s hubby Xander Ng, 29, quit his job as an army captain to join her full-time. The couple, who married in 2019, have two children. “We used to go on dates on weekends and public holidays. After she became a hawker, we hardly had time together. Since we can’t spend our free time together, I started thinking maybe I can work beside her instead,” said Xander, who has a Bachelor of Science from SMU. 

Teresa recalled having mixed feelings at first: “On one hand, I was very happy. By joining forces, we can go further. But I was a bit worried about him giving up a stable income. In the end, I trusted that we could do this together.” 

Even though he had “no flair for cooking”, Xander took a “20 per cent pay cut” to become a hawker, learning to cook congee from his father-in-law. Both Xander and Teresa cook at the flagship stall – the base porridge was prepared by the former on the day of our visit.

Vincent’s first hawker venture is actually Seng Bee Chicken Rice, which opened in 1993 and is located next to the congee stall. “When the bird flu outbreak happened, we had to diversify. That’s why we started selling congee at the chicken rice stall. Customers liked it so we opened Xin Mei as a separate congee stall in 2002,” he explained.

While she handles operations for both concepts, Teresa is focused on the congee business first, which she finds relatively easier to manage. Seng Bee is currently helmed by staff.

“Chicken rice is definitely more complicated. There are more techniques involved. Xander and I are starting with learning how to chop the chicken,” she shared. 

DRAWING IN NEW CUSTOMERS VIA TIKTOK

Teresa says business was better previously but she noticed a sharp 40 per cent drop in sales recently due to construction works at the carpark next to the hawker centre in Ang Mo Kio. The savvy millennial quickly turned to TikTok to drum up business. She started posting videos of life as a hawker, and, of course, promoting their congee, under the cute handle @congeexiaojiejie (coined by her younger brother).

“We’ve had some new, younger customers who came to the stall after watching our TikToks. It’s a nice surprise,” shared the bubbly hawker. Her mum Doreen chirped in approvingly: “She’s always been our family’s kai xin guo (a Chinese term for someone who brings happiness or joy). She’s full of ideas!”

While the couple does not regret leaving their previous jobs, Teresa acknowledges that the hawker trade can be unpredictable. “There are good and bad days, so we try to save up for rainy days,” she explained. Xander revealed that he has to “work harder to secure other sources of income”. He runs a dropshipping business and also dabbles in investments to supplement their earnings.

Teresa aims to continue modernising her family business and eventually expand the brand. For now, she remains focused on running the existing outlets and ensuring that the quality is consistent. “I love our food – it’s why I was against my parents closing the stalls in the first place. I want to make sure our standard stays the same,” she said. 

CENTURY EGG AND PORK CONGEE, S$4.50; ADD S$1 FOR LEAN PORK

Made with Japanese pearl rice, the base congee is rich, smooth and not too runny. On its own, the porridge is robust with flavour from the chicken and pork stock. There’s a decent quantity of century egg and minced pork in the porridge, but we recommend topping up S$1 for sliced lean pork for a meatier meal.

The portion is filling, plus all congee orders come with freshly-fried you tiao, which we enjoyed dipping into the gooey, creamy congee.

MIXED CONGEE, S$4.50

This option comes with pork liver, small intestine, lean pork and springy house-made pork balls. While the organs were well-cleaned and had no odour, we found the thinly sliced liver and innards to be slightly overcooked and tough to chew.

FISHED CONGEE, S$4.50

For something lighter and cleaner-tasting, go for this porridge with sliced toman (giant snakehead) and julienned ginger.

BAO ZI MIAN, S$5

Besides congee, the stall also offers some noodle dishes. We tried the ee mian, which is served in the same flavourful broth used to cook their porridge and topped with egg, veggies, pork liver and dollops of minced meat – the latter is a standout for us. Studded with savoury dong cai (preserved Tianjin cabbage), the tasty chunks offer a good bite and elevated the wholesome, homely flavours of the bowl.

BOTTOM LINE

The base congee is rich, creamy and nourishing – comparable to those at some casual Chinese restaurant chains. While the toppings were generally good, a few could be improved for a tastier experience. We recommend the classic toppings like century egg and minced pork, and sliced fish. The comforting ee mian, an unexpected hit, is worth a try too.

Xin Mei Congee is at 724 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, #01-32, Ang Mo Kio Central Market & Food Centre, Singapore 560724. Open daily 8am to 7.30pm.

Other outlets are at 338 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, #01-1639 and 51 Old Airport Road, #01-91, Old Airport Road Food Centre (temporarily closed for renovation).

This story was originally published in 8Days.