But few people know him by his full name. The prata chef is better known by his brand “Mr & Mrs Mohgan’s Super Crispy Roti Prata”, which has raked up local fandom since setting up shop in 2006 in the Joo Chiat area.
As a child, Mr Mohgan would watch his mother make prata for her employer. At first, he was only tasked to wash dishes. But soon, he cajoled his mother to teach him how to make a prata. Thus began his journey of becoming one of Singapore’s iconic prata masters.
Roti prata, is one of Singapore’s most beloved hawker food. A flatbread originating from South India, it is served with curry, and usually available as prata kosong, plain, or as prata telur, with an egg mixed into the dough. Children who are not ready for curry would usually have fond memories pressing their roti prata into generous servings of white sugar.
In 1989, during his stint at a hotel, he learnt how to be precise in measuring his ingredients. “You see the roti prata chefs in Singapore? Humtum (estimate) one. Sometimes they put too much salt or too little. This affects how the dough will rise.”
Still, fame has not made his work any easier. Every morning, his day begins at around 6am, and involves 7-8 hours of standing up, kneading, mixing and flipping pratas continuously. During busy periods, Mr Moghan would only take one toilet break, which is usually less than 5 minutes long.
Starting from around 6:30am, the ding-dong chime of the digital counter sitting atop the stainless steel buzzes incessantly, making it sound more like a polyclinic than a prata shop. On an average weekday, they use up to 5 litres of oil, which makes 700 pratas. On a weekend, it doubles.
Despite the backbreaking daily grind, Mr Mohgan is driven to perfect every piece of prata by the occasional compliment from appreciative customers, who come from all over Singapore and even abroad.
Mr & Mrs Mohgan’s Super Crispy Roti Prata is located at Tin Yeang Restaurant at 300 Joo Chiat Road (beside, Dunman Food Centre) and is open daily 6.30am-1pm except Wednesdays.