ASK any Sarawakian mother about her go-to confinement food and chances are she will answer “ka chang ma chicken.”
“It’s actually a traditional Chinese confinement dish that has, over time, been embraced by people of all races. It’s now a must-have dish for new mothers in confinement,” says Nur Hanie Mohammed, 42, who runs a confinement meal delivery business from her Kuching home.
This simple chicken dish, made up of chicken, ginger and dried ka chang ma herbs (or motherwort), is one of her customers’ favourite.
Although not originally a local herb, ka chang ma, a plant from the mint family that is believed to have been brought into Sarawak by the Hakka community from China, has since been regarded as an important ingredient for one of the hornbill state’s unique dishes.
“I have Dayak and Malay clients who request for this dish during their confinement period, and I remember my late mother being served this dish after she gave birth to my younger brother,” says the home-based cook.
Confinement food delivery services are increasingly popular across the country for various reasons. They give new mothers one less thing to worry about and ensure they receive adequate nutrition to support their bodies throughout the healing process while they care for their newborns. And for Nur Hanie, infusing her dishes with traditional elements comes naturally.
Growing up in Sarawak and surrounded by the aromatic spices and vibrant flavours of local dishes, Nur Hanie decided to specialise in Sarawakian cuisine for recovering new mothers because she believes that nourishing and traditional food hold stories, memories and promote emotional connections.
Her business, Ringkat Mama Confinement Meal, offers two daily meals (lunch and dinner), with an optional tea time snack. Each meal includes a protein (chicken or fish), vegetables and fruits for fibre and some carbohydrates.
“While these meals essentially provide nourishment for postpartum recovery, a delivery food service gives new mothers peace of mind, freeing them from worrying about their next meal and allowing them to spend more time with their babies,” she adds.
A modern option
Nur Hanie says confinement meal delivery is particularly valuable now since many new mothers lack the “village” – extended family members and friends who traditionally cared for them during this period.
Despite having only offered the service for two years, Nur Hanie, who is also a freelance illustrator, has received rave reviews about her food quality but she remains far from being complacent.
A mother to a three-year-old daughter, she regularly exchanges notes with two confinement lady acquaintances from different backgrounds to find more about the types of food necessary for new mothers.
“One friend, who is medically trained, has a more of a modern outlook, while the other, who comes from a line of confinement ladies, sticks to more traditional practices,” she says.
The first confinement lady shares insights on the effects of certain traditional herbs, while the second one advises her on which foods have ‘cold’ or ‘heaty’ properties.
“It’s fascinating to learn these things and I’m always trying to reconcile the differences between these two postpartum practices, specifically about confinement meals. I aim to find a balance between them,” says Nur Hanie.
Despite the delivery cost of sending the meals out, Nur Hanie believes that confinement food delivery remains worthwhile due to the convenience it offers to new mothers and their families.
“My delivery cost depends on the location – the farther the delivery is, the higher the price. But I find the cost is manageable when there are multiple customers in one area,” she says.
“But cost aside, I think this business ‘nourishes’ me too, because I get to ease the lives of women who are in this new and challenging phase. It feels good to be able to help fellow mothers,” she adds.
