Despite it being their very first attempt at competitive cooking, they emerged as the winning team by presenting an unconventional twist to the traditional dish that was 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.

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.”

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 concoction, the two went on to win the hearts of the judging panel with the final outcome: a Japanese Style Mee Hoon Kuay.

Trish reveals that their winning recipe is also thanks to both her late grandmother and her boyfriend’s mother: “Grandma taught me the method of hand-kneading the noodle dough, while my boyfriend’s mother recently taught me how to flatten and hand-tear it after adding a little oil. Let’s just say nothing tastes better than handmade Mee Hoon Kuay when you get to control the texture and thickness of the noodles, and make it exactly the way you like it!”