BITES
L•ve’s
Kitchen
By Michelle Zhu
An avid fan of the local award-winning
celebrity chef, Trish enthuses, “We couldn’t
think of a better opportunity to have a
professional chef to comment on our
family recipe and home cooking. Chef
Daniel is a reputable professional who has
been so willing to share so many sincere
and valuable comments, and has helped us
to improve a lot during the competition.”
A Winning Formula
Together, Trish and Helen decided on Mee
Hoon Kuay as it was one of the first few
dishes Trish had picked up from her late
grandmother. Before her passing in 2006,
the entire family would work together to
knead the dough for the noodles. Trish
fondly recalls, “Whenever I think of my
grandma, I’m always reminded of her
traditional Malaysian style Mee Hoon
Kuay. However, mum and I weren’t able to
master the flavours very successfully.”
Grandma’s passion for
food was what spurred
25-year-old Trish to enter a
competition with her mother.
Despite it being their very
first attempt at competitive
cooking, they emerged as the
winning team by presenting
an unconventional that was
the traditional dish, inspired
by Trish’s late grandmother:
Mee Hoon Kuay (hand-pulled
noodles). The mother and
daughter duo tell Family
& Life about their love for
cooking, and how they
remember grandma in the
process.
Trish Yee was often chased away from the
kitchen as a child because her grandmother
preferred to cook alone. At the age of 12,
her persistence in learning the secrets of
home cuisine finally moved grandma to let
Trish in on her culinary secrets.
Since her grandmother’s passing, Trish has
taken over the baton as the family cook
with the help of her mother, Helen Ang.
The spirited young lady now prepares
family meals 3 – 4 times a week over
weekdays, and cooks up a storm of 7 – 8
dishes at a time during her weekends off
from her banking job. Says Helen, 55: “I
never really had the opportunity to step into
the kitchen when my mother was around.
However, I have always loved reading and
exploring food recipes. While Trish helms
the cooking in our family kitchen, I always
enjoy spending time discussing and trying
out new recipes with her.”
Hungry for Critique
Trish and Helen decided to enter the Knorr
Family Cookout this year after happening
to chance upon the news on the Internet.
Themed ‘Your ingredient to Happy Family
Moments’, the competition received over 40
submissions of family recipes and stories,
with five contestants being selected at the
semi-finals in May by a panel of judges led
by Chef Daniel Koh.
I hope to put my experience
to good use by organising
corporate and family events
which require people to
cook together.
38
Family & Life • Sept 2013
Although they were unable to replicate
grandma’s original dish, their love for
Japanese ramen added a creative punch
to their noodles. By including Chashu
(braised seasoned pork) and Ajitsuke
Tamago (marinated soft-boiled egg) to their
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