Food memories and mom memories often go hand in hand.
For culinary professionals, in particular, many developed their passion for cooking while watching their mothers or their maternal figures in their lives as they prepared family meals.
In honour of Mother’s Day, Capsicum Culinary School asked some of the chefs to share the recipes of the favourite dishes they most remember their moms whipping up for them, and below are the recipes.
Jenny Martin's chicken a-la-king
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
2 carrots
1 onion
2 leeks
Oil
50g butter
50g cake flour
1 cup of rice
Method
Chop onions, carrots, and leeks and sweat them off in a stockpot until translucent.
Add whole chicken, cover with water, bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer.
Once the chicken is cooked and the meat is falling from the bone, remove it from the liquid.
Allow the chicken to cool, strip the meat from the carcass. Discard the bones and skin. Strain the cooking liquid (stock) and reserve along with the vegetables.
Take a clean pot and make a roux by melting the butter then adding the flour, allow this to cook without colour.
Add the cooking liquid to make a velouté sauce.
Be sure to season the sauce.
Add the sauce to the meat as well as the vegetables reserved from the cooking.
Check the seasoning.
Boil the rice until cooked and serve with the chicken.
Sandra Nagan’s South Indian fish curry
Ingredients
Oil
One large onion, diced
6 green chillies, slit down the middle
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera (cumin) seeds
2 tbsp Kashmiri masala
1½ tbs fish masala
8-10 ripe tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, sliced in half
2 stem curry leaves
4 tbsp black tamarind, soaked in hot water
2kgs fresh fish (I prefer salmon for this recipe)
Few small brinjals, chopped (optional)
Salt to taste
Method
Soak tomatoes in hot water till the skin starts to come off. Puree in a food processor.
Add just enough oil to cover the base of a flat-bottom pot and heat.
Add mustard seeds and allow to fry. Add diced onions, green chillies and curry leave.
Once onions are translucent add sliced garlic and masala spices. Mix well and allow to braise for a few minutes before adding the pureed tomatoes and salt to taste.
Allow to simmer on medium heat to allow the tomato to reduce (15 - 20 minutes).
Mix tamarind in a little hot water to break down then using a sieve strain mixture into the mixture.
Reduce heat to low and allow to cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.
Once it has reduced, add fish and brinjals. Careful not to break the fish. Swirl gravy around, do not mix.
Reduce heat and allow to cook for another 10 minutes or until gravy thickens and fish is cooked through.
Garnish with coriander and serve with rice, bread, or roti.