MAKKAH: An invitation to hold a cooking demonstration 15 years ago opened doors for a cook to serve Tabung Haji (TH) staff in the Holy Land.
Sharing his story, Chef Wan Noor Zamran Hashim, 52, who heads the kitchen at the Abraj Al-Janadriyyah building, TH’s headquarters here, said he was invited to cook using the products of a spice company in a marketing programme in 2008.
The pastry and biscuit entrepreneur said that in addition to the products being selected to be used as cooking ingredients, he was also offered to prepare food for the Haj operation that year.
“I was surprised and happy because in addition to carrying out my duties, I could perform worship in the Holy Land,” he said when met by reporters here.
Regarding his duties, Wan Noor Zamran said he was assisted by two other chefs and two local assistants who worked from 3.30 am to about 7 pm every day to prepare food for the staff at the headquarters and 12 accommodations around Makkah.
According to him, TH staff are served food with Malaysian flavours to cure their longing for the homeland while on duty for the Haj season for about two months.
Wan Noor Zamran, who has served for 14 Haj seasons, said that in order to maintain the authenticity of the taste of the food, raw materials such as anchovies, dried prawns, dried chillies and spices are brought from Malaysia.
He said his team together with the Malaysian cooking team in Madinah will work together to prepare about 70 kg of food for 670 personnel during the peak days of the Haj including the wukuf in Arafah, mabit in Mudzalifah and stone throwing in Mina.
Meantime, a chef at a famous hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Muhammad Ramli, 36, was willing to take unpaid leave to join the cooking team for TH staff here.
“Getting a chance like this is not easy, even though tiring, I’m happy because I have the opportunity to perform the Haj and worship at the Grand Mosque,” he said. – BERNAMA
