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Creator of Singapore's iconic chilli crab dish, Cher Yam Tian, dies at 89

Cher's granddaughter shares stories of her last years and how the famous dish was invented

Roland Restaurant's Chilli Crab (left) and Cher Yam Tian with son Roland Lim (Photos: Roland Restaurant/Facebook & Death Kopitiam Singapore/Facebook)
Roland Restaurant's Chilli Crab (left) and Cher Yam Tian with son Roland Lim (Photos: Roland Restaurant/Facebook & Death Kopitiam Singapore/Facebook)

SINGAPORE - The creator of the now iconic chilli crab dish, Cher Yam Tian, died on Wednesday (15 February) at the age of 89.

Cher's granddaughter Regina Lim, who lived with her, confirmed to Yahoo Southeast Asia that Cher had contracted a chest infection a few days ago.

After noticing she was breathing heavily and irregularly, the family had engaged a doctor to assess the situation, and were been told to be mentally prepared, said Lim.

"We all definitely feel the pain that she is not with us anymore. At least she's not suffering now. She battled with cancer and went through so many operations, she's been fighting for a long time," Lim said.

Forging familial bonds through food

Lim, 40, described her grandmother as a homely person who liked to spend time with her eight great-grandchildren, four of whom were living with her.

Before her health deteriorated this year, Cher loved to cook for the family to pass time. Some of her notable dishes were pig stomach soup, Ngo Hiang, black sauce prawns, as well as the famous chilli crab, of which her great-grandchildren loved to eat.

The family had a tradition to swing by her place in Siglap once a week for a gathering.

Aside from cooking, Cher also liked watching Korean dramas and played games liked Bejeweled and Candy Crush on the iPad, said Lim, who is in charge of marketing at Roland Restaurant, owned by Cher's son Roland Lim.

Upholding standard and quality at seafood restaurant

In her last few years, Cher would still help out at Roland Restaurant on special occasions such as Chinese New Year or special functions, especially when the restaurant was shorthanded.

She was also steadfast in keeping the quality and standard of the food that was served at the restaurant.

She would drop by for meals and do a spot check on the chefs and my dad. They would be on their toes because they know she is there to check on them.

When Cher could not visit the restaurant that often due to her health, her son would take away the food for Cher to do a taste test.

"She will ask 'I want to try now' to see whether there is any drop in standard," recalled Lim, who chuckled while reminiscing fond memories of her grandmother.

How Singapore's chilli crab and Roland Restaurant came about

According to Singapore Infopedia, the famous chilli crab dish was invented by Cher in the 1950s when she added bottled chilli sauce to stir-fried crabs, instead of the usual tomato sauce.

As written by food blogger Leslie Tay, who runs ieatishootipost, Cher and her husband, Constable Lim, were then living in an attap house along Upper East Coast Road.

Lim would catch crabs from the beach and bring them home for dinner. Cher would then steam the crabs and eat them plain.

One day, Lim had asked his wife to do something a little different. It was then that Cher decided to stir fry the crabs in tomato sauce. Lim thought the dish was a little too sweet and suggested Cher add some chilli into the sauce.

In 1950, Cher started selling her chilli crab from a pushcart along the road, though the recipe did not have sambal or eggs at that time, progressing to a little shack by 1956, named 'Palm Beach Seafood' after Lim noticed coconut trees along the beach.

Black and white photo of Palm Beach Seafood (Photo: ieatishootipost/Facebook)
Black and white photo of Palm Beach Seafood (Photo: ieatishootipost/Facebook)

The idea of adding sambal and eggs came later, when the owner of Dragon Phoenix restaurant, Hooi Kok Wah, made some modifications to the recipe, becoming the famous chilli crab that is known today.

Cher's culinary legacy is continued by her son Roland, who runs Roland Restaurant together with his wife Lilian and younger brother Richard.

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