Challah. If you ask me what the best thing my Mother bakes is, it’s her signature recipe for Challah. I’m confident it’s the best Challah in the world and the only reasons I haven’t learned the recipe are;
- Like most Jewish mothers – there isn’t a recipe. It’s a handful of this, a pinch of that and just feel it. You’ll know when it’s right.
- Also, if I learn to make it, she’s going to stop making it.
With Mother’s Day coming up this Sunday, we asked 5 foodies to share their mother’s best recipe and the first dish they learned to cook.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Anel Van Der Merwe, Hollistic Health Coach
What’s the best thing your mom makes
Definitely her Mac and Cheese, Nothing is more comforting than that!
What was the first thing your mom taught you to cook
Oh gosh – I vaguely remember her teaching me our favorite lazy egg dish. It’s two boiled eggs on toast with a cheese sauce over the top! Can you imagine?! We’ve definitely both come a long way from then!! Her cooking is much healthier now 😉
What’s your favorite recipe from your Mom
The funny thing is my mom doesn’t really cook from a recipe! She’ll make something amazing and you ask her for the recipe and she just shrugs and says she basically did x and y and threw in a whole bunch of potions from her collection of spices, pastes, and condiments in the fridge! It’s annoying yet so charming and sums up her personality for sure. It’s a good tactic though, because every time you want to eat something that reminds you of home, you actually HAVE to go home because you can’t possibly recreate it yourself. She’s a smart mama-bear.
Follow Anel on Instagram @choosingthis
Monique Lopes, Personal Trainer
What’s the best thing your mom makes
Anything and everything my mom cooks or bakes is amazing. I have thought long and hard to find a specific. I even asked my brother and Dad, and they agree. My mom is just incredible in the kitchen.
It also helps that she loves cooking, and adores cooking for the family. She’s a feeder!
What was the first thing your mom taught you to cook
I still remember this day like it was yesterday. The first dish my mom ever taught me (aside from scrambled eggs) was fillet steak, potato mash with a delicious mushroom sauce. My Mom’s fillet steak and mash beats any steak and mash in the whole entire world.
What’s your favourite recipe from your Mom
I chose her most recent amazing dish this past week, Thai Chicken Curry, because I thought it would be appropriate for the cold winter we have just entered. Nothing is more satisfying than a nice warm Thai curry to warm you up from the belly.
Here’s her recipe
Monique’s Mom’s Thai Chicken Curry
Ingredients
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fresh garlic
1 Bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons almond butter
½ can coconut milk
4-5 cloves
2 teaspoons curry powder (my mom uses Woolworth’s mix)
4 chicken breasts, cubed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Directions
1. Heat a pot and then place the onion, ginger, garlic and coriander and stir until onion is transparent.
- Add the next 2 ingredients on the list and stir.
- Add the curry powder and cloves. Then add the chicken and the rest of the ingredients. Remember to reduce the heat and stir as needed so it does not burn.
- Once the chicken is cooked, sprinkle more fresh chopped coriander, and allow to stand for a little while.
- Serve with basmati rice or cauliflower rice for a low carb version.
It’s delicious! Enjoy!
Follow Monique on Instagram @monique.fit
Gabriella Esposito, co-owner of Skinny Scoop, Blogger & Food Photographer
What’s the best thing your mom makes
My mom makes simple food delicious. She seldom makes anything complicated but whatever it is, it is comforting and indulging every time!
My favorite dish of hers is her cottage pie! It was a staple part of my childhood and remains one of my all-time favorite meals!
What was the first thing your mom taught you to cook
The first thing she taught me was her tuna and red onion quiche. It was either that or her mushroom soup!
What’s your favorite recipe from your Mom
It would be a tossup between her Chicken Soup or the traditional Bolognese recipe she handed down to me!
Follow Gabriella on Instagram @_gabriellaesposito_
Francesca Annenberg, Health and Beauty Blogger & Recipe Developer
What’s the best thing your mom makes
My mom makes a delicious roasted butternut and sweet potato rocket salad with toasted pine nuts, cranberries, and avocado. Those veggies come out perfectly roasted every time, and her pine nut toasting skills are getting better with age 😉
What was the first thing your mom taught you to cook
A fruit salad. Ok, so it’s not a cooked recipe but my mother always said a fruit salad is not a fruit salad unless it has TEN fruits, and that excludes apples, pears, and bananas. So now I know how to make a mean fruit salad. Thanks, mom.
What’s your favorite recipe from your mom
She used to make Matzah Ball Soup for me before I went vegan each year for Passover which was really tasty. However, since I’ve been vegan, she has managed to perfect a vegan version for the last three years, which is super yummy. I really appreciate the effort she has put in into learning how to make it. I’m proud to say that she now knows what nutritional yeast is because of it!
Follow Francesca on Instagram @francescaeatsroses
Shakera Ghoor, Pilates instructor, and owner of Fitness Fusion Studio
What’s the best thing your mom makes
An Indian Dish called Akhni.
What was the first thing your mom taught you to cook
Rice.
What’s your favorite recipe from your mom
Her baked bean pie recipe.
Follow Shakera on Instagram @fitnessfusionstudio
What’s your favorite recipe from your mom? Share with us in the comments below
