Otah Boy Story

Otahboy was founded in 2004 by Sean Soh in Singapore. It is a branch of the family business in Malaysia which has been operating for the past 40 years.

The company specializes in the heritage nyonya food and its signature product is Otah Boy’s Nyonya Muar Otah, based on the recipe created by his Nyonya grandmother. At 18, in 1998, Otah Boy came to Singapore to study.  Having grown up in Muar in Johor, Otah Boy wanted to share with Singaporeans the unique taste and goodness of his grandmother’s Nyonya Muar Otah.

Most weekends, Otah Boy would go back home to Muar to visit the family, and he would always bring back some frozen otah for his week’s consumption.  Otah Boy would regularly share some of the otah with his friends.  Before he knew it, orders from friends of friends and friends’ families were flowing in, and Otah Boy would bring back increasing quantities of the delicious otah.  And that’s how the Otah Boy brand was born in Singapore, to make the otah available for the enjoyment of all in Singapore.

As a kid, going to visit my Ah Mah who lived in Muar, even though we stayed only one hour away, was an expedition reserved for school vacations and important family occasions. I always looked forward to visiting Ah Mah. On arrival at her house, I would run to the big kitchen where Ah Mah would be busy with my aunties, typically pounding rempah (mixture of herbs and spices) in a batu lesung (stone mortar).

Our greetings would be quickly followed by my asking: what are you cooking today?

Ah Mah would proudly take me through the fresh ingredients of the day. She’d tell me all about the fragrance of the fruits, the ripeness of the vegetables, and the varieties of fish. Sometimes, Ah Mah would blindfold me to make me guess the names of the spices!

I was mesmerised by the transformation happening before my eyes, the ingredients turning into the feast that followed. I remember especially her famous otah that she prepared on special occasions. She would always say that cooking is from the heart.
Later, I moved to Singapore to study civil engineering, and later started work in construction. After a few years, I realised that I was truly happy only when I was cooking, and seeing my friends and family enjoying the food. I left construction, enrolled at SHATEC to hone my cooking skills, and started a new venture, Otah Boy, to share the joy of my time cooking with Ah Mah, and to honour her legacy.

Otah Boy’s Mission

We are a small family business, officially and proudly Singaporean. We hand pick fresh ingredients and prepare them like for our loved ones – no preservatives, no MSG, no additives. We produce small batches to ensure consistent high quality, and we flash freeze the otah before transport, to ensure freshness, and also to lock in nutrition and texture for a long shelf life.

We hope that our products will touch your hearts. Please enjoy the heritage taste and the warm homely feeling of our comfort food ♥️