M
ore than a decade in the satay business — filled with ups and downs since she first began selling from home — has never once dampened the spirit of 36-year-old Nur Syahliza Syafrial.
Despite several failed attempts in the past, the mother of five remains optimistic and determined to move forward through her newly revived brand, Jijah Satay.
EARNING A LITTLE EXTRA
Sharing her journey with Bernama, Nur Syahliza recalled how she first ventured into the satay business in 2015 — simply to earn some pocket money after leaving her job as a bank clerk in Taman Melawati, Hulu Kelang, while pregnant with her first child — a pair of twins.
“Honestly, I just wanted some pocket money and to help my husband. I’d been working before and was used to having my own income,” she said.
At that time, she wasn’t yet selling satay on skewers. Instead, she prepared ‘satay wrap’ — diced chicken breast marinated in satay spices, wrapped in chapati.
When she uploaded photos to Facebook, she was surprised by the response.
“In a single day I received almost 30 orders,” she said, adding that she used her late father Syafrial Bahar’s satay marinade recipe. Her father, who was also a satay seller, died on Feb 16, 2023.
Nur Syahliza Syafrial,--BERNAMApix
It was also the trend then for people to order lunch delivery or lunch boxes.
“Most sellers offered rice and dishes, so I decided to be different with satay wraps,” she added.
EPISODES OF RISE AND FALL
After a year of operating from home, Nur Syahliza decided it was time to step out. She opened a stall in Sri Rampai, selling skewered satay from 6pm to 2am — and it was there that Jijah Satay was born.
But business was slow.
“Some days I only earned RM5. Sometimes RM30. Eventually I felt enough was enough. I also pitied my children who had to follow us home late every night.”
She returned to selling from home — this time refreshing the concept.
She packed satay in cake boxes lined with banana leaves, enhancing the aroma. Her first customer — a university student — praised the creativity. Orders soon poured in, even from hotels.
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But there was a problem — she was only grilling using a flat frying pan.
“Sometimes orders reached 400 sticks a day. So I used my father’s house nearby to grill over charcoal instead,” she shared.
Customers loved it — especially since home-delivery satay was rare back then. Many never realised she was operating from home.
Her sweetest memory came in 2018, when MARA ordered 30,000 satay sticks for a Hari Raya function.
“That was one of my proudest moments — from small batches at home to thousands of sticks.”
TRIAL AFTER TRIAL
In 2019, she opened a central kitchen in Wangsa Melawati — but the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ending operations within a year. She returned to selling from home, this time focusing on frozen satay. Demand was high — but lack of business knowledge led to losses.
“After all that effort, I realised I was only earning RM1 profit per sale!”
She tried again in 2021 — opening a café in Jalan Pahang. But once again — lack of management and marketing experience led to closure in 2022.
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These setbacks finally opened her eyes. Together with her husband Mohd Aiman Osman, 37, she identified the real weaknesses — poor management and marketing strategy.
At the end of 2024, she revived Jijah Satay with assistance from the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP).
“We used the aid as working capital and reopened Jijah Satay as a central kitchen in Residensi Bistaria, Ampang.”
Last year alone, they sold 120,000 satay sticks during the festive season.
CREATING A SIGNATURE IDENTITY
Growing up as the daughter of a satay seller since age nine, Nur Syahliza had seen it all.
“I’ve always been quiet, more of an observer. I’d think about how to improve and make the business more appealing — because when you look ordinary, people look down on you,” she said.
Packaging became her focus. One innovation was satay served in plastic cups, making it easier to enjoy on the go.
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The concept came from a mini chocolate-dip biscuit snack with two compartments — one for biscuits and one for chocolate. That was when she thought, “Why not do the same with satay?”
At first, people mocked the idea. But she pushed on. Now 600–800 satay cups are ordered daily.
Customers can also order 50-stick satay party boxes lined with banana leaves, complete with rice cakes, cucumber, onions and peanut sauce in sealed containers.
A FAMILY RECIPE
The satay recipe comes from her father, who began selling in 1984.
“He always did R&D. Over 20 spices are used, perfectly balanced — and our satay doesn’t leave fibrous lemongrass residue,” said Nur Syahliza.
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Each stick weighs between 22 to 25 grammes to ensure consistent quality. Jijah Satay also offers frozen satay with peanut sauce nationwide.
She also recalled receiving feedback from a cancer patient who said the satay’s non-charcoal preparation allowed the meal to be enjoyed.
She also supplies satay to those interested in becoming resellers.
THIRD PLACE IN PROJEK BANGKIT
In December, hoping to strengthen her business capital, Nur Syahliza joined Projek Bangkit — an entrepreneurship reality programme by MAIWP and TV AlHijrah, targeting asnaf participants in the Federal Territories.
The programme offered grants worth RM50,000, RM1 million promotional sponsorship and business mentoring across eight weeks.
Nur Syahliza earned third place and received a RM15,000 grant.
With dreams of opening several branches in the coming years, she encourages homemakers seeking income not to be shy about starting, and never to give up easily.
