Mother’s Day feast
Chefs serve up an unconventional A trio of cooks roll up their sleeves, get out the pots and pans, heat up the stove and treat their moms to a special meal on their special day
There’s nothing wrong with mimosas and tea sandwiches for Mother’s Day, but knowing my mom, the barbecue master of our family, she’d rather have a pepper-crusted steak and an endless supply of Coke (glass bottles only).
This got me thinking what others would cook, so I asked three chefs what they’d make for mom.
Nick Liu, chef-owner of Dailo, and mom Edith Liu Simmering a pot of chicken congee over the stove at his parents’ house in Markham, Nick explains it’s a family tradition to eat this rice porridge after midnight mass at Christmas. Since congee is also the go-to dish Chinese parents make for kids when they’re sick, it’s the dish that reminds him most of home.
But home is relative for the family. Edith was born in South Africa while her husband, Howard, was born in India (she says he’s the main cook and makes a mean daal).
They later met in England where she worked in radiology (she moved there seeking better career opportunities during apartheid). They soon got married and had their first child, Chris, before moving to Markham in 1978. That’s where Nick was born.
While Nick learned most of his cooking from his dad, he learned skills such as gardening and how to make wontons and noodles from his mom’s side of the family.
“My mom’s parents would look after my brother and I, and basically they made us do these things so that we wouldn’t kill ourselves,” he says. “We used to fight all the time. We were the worst.”
The chef also didn’t have the smoothest career trajectory leading up to Dailo’s opening, but credits his parents for offering a sense of stability.
“My life was kind of up and down and they’ve been there though my divorces, breakups, locations and business partners that fell through,” says Nick. “Even times when I ran out of money there was always a place where I can lay my head. I’m always grateful because not everyone has that.”
Nick Liu’s Chicken and Meatball Congee
3 Star Tested For the pork and shrimp meatballs: 5 dried shiitake mushrooms 1/2 lb (8 oz.) ground pork 1/4 lb. (4 oz.) shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped 1/4 cup (60 mL) grated carrot 1 tsp (5 mL) minced ginger 1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar Dash sesame oil Pinch of salt For the congee: 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) jasmine rice, or any kind of rice 12 cups (3 L) no-salt added chicken broth 2 cups (50 mL) water Salt, to taste 20 pork and shrimp meatballs 4 to 5 chicken thighs 2 beaten large eggs Optional toppings: Green onions, sliced thinly on bias Chopped cilantro leaves Yuba (dried tofu skins), rehydrated and cut into bite-sized pieces Sliced century eggs Chinese doughnut fritters For the meatballs: In a bowl, submerge mushrooms in water. Let sit for 3 to 4 hours until mushrooms are tender. Drain, squeeze excess liquid from mushrooms, trim and discard tough stems. Mince mushroom caps.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined. Scoop out one tablespoon of meat to form a test meatball. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add test meatball. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until cooked through. Adjust seasoning if necessary then roll up the rest of meatballs on to a lined baking tray (makes about 20). If not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to two days or freeze until ready to cook. For the congee: Rinse rice in a bowl under cold running water. Drain and repeat until water in bowl is almost clear.
In a large stockpot over mediumhigh heat, bring rice, broth and water to a rapid bowl, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally and scrape bottom of pot to prevent rice from burning. Cover and simmer for at least 2 hours or until congee reaches desired porridge texture. Add more broth or water if you prefer a thinner consistency. Add salt to taste. Season chicken thighs generously with salt and cut into thin strips. Set aside.
Bring congee back to a boil over medium-high heat. Gently fold in meatballs and chicken. Cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meatballs and chicken are fully cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. Bring congee back to boil and drizzle beaten eggs in a circular motion into pot to create ribbons.
Pour into serving bowls and add desired toppings. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings. Preena Chauhan, co-owner of Arvinda’s, and mom and cooking instructor Arvinda Chauhan Preena was supposed to be cooking, but her mom Arvinda couldn’t help test the consistency of the pancake batter and suggest adding a bit more spice (while wearing a chef’s jacket). That’s what happens when your mom has been a cooking instructor for 23 years.
“It all started here in this kitchen,” says Arvinda in her Oakville home, where she taught the fundamentals of Indian cooking in the early ’90s. As demand grew, the classes moved into cooking studios and Preena and her brother Paresh had the idea to sell their mom’s spice blends. It was around 2005, a time when they still had to explain to retailers that masala wasn’t an Italian wine.
“All of my knowledge of Indian cooking came from my mom,” says Preena, who runs the family spice business and teaches cooking classes alongside her mom. While Arvinda has been cooking since she was a kid, it wasn’t exactly by choice.
Born in a small village in Nairobi, Kenya (the family’s ancestors are from Rajasthan, a northern Indian state), Arvinda started cooking for her siblings, grinding spices and making chapatis when she was 6 after their mother passed away. Her dad then moved the family to Kampala, Uganda, for work. While doing her schooling in London, a teenage Arvinda also had to cook for her grandfather after her grandmother died. She’d get up at 5 a.m. to prepare his food before taking two buses and a train to school. She picked up groceries on the way home.
“It was a lot of work,” she says. “We didn’t have a lot of time to play, but it gave me a lot of experience and I accept it as part of my life.”
Now, Arvinda enjoys mixing up traditional dishes with ingredients Preena introduced her to, such as kale and quinoa. For Mother’s Day, Preena is doing an Indian take on pancakes punched up with her mom’s fragrant spice blends.
Preena Chauhan’s Indian-style Pancakes
3 Star Tested For a shortcut on the pancakes, use 2 tablespoons of Arvinda’s curry masala blend to replace the coriander, cumin, chili, turmeric, garlic and ginger (available online and at retailers across Ontario). They also make the garam masala required in this recipe. For the apple chutney 3 medium-sized apples, any variety, cored, peeled and grated 1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar 1 tbsp (15 mL) white vinegar 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cumin seeds 1/2 tsp (2 mL) chili powder 2 green cardamom pods 2 whole cloves 1 3-inch cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon 1 whole star anise 1/2 tsp (2 mL) garam masala For the pancakes 1/2 cup (125 mL) chickpea flour, sifted 1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin 1/2 tsp (2 mL) chili powder 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground turmeric 1/2 tsp (2 mL) garam masala 1/2 tsp (2 mL) garlic paste 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ginger paste 1/2 tsp (2 mL) kosher salt 2 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cup (125 mL) water 1 cup (250 mL) (250 mL) finely chopped onion 1 cup (250 mL) (250 mL) finely chopped kale or spinach leaves 1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped zucchini Vegetable or canola oil, for frying For the chutney: In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine all ingredients. Cook 45 minutes at just below a simmer, stirring occasionally until most liquid has evaporated and chutney has turned dark in colour. Remove from heat and set aside or let cool before refrigerating in an airtight container for up to a week. For the pancakes: In a mediumsized mixing bowl, whisk together chickpea flour, coriander, cumin, chili, turmeric, garam masala, garlic and ginger pastes, and salt. Whisk in eggs and water to achieve a pancakelike batter. Fold in onion, kale and zucchini. Add more water if batter is too thick.
In a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat, ladle about 1/4 cup of batter. When batter starts to bubble, flip pancake. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Serve with warm apple chutney.
Makes about 6 pancakes. Paula Navarrete, chef de cuisine Momofuku Daisho, and mom, Marta Mejia “When I started cooking, I wanted to go back to the recipes my mom made to see if I could go back and replicate them,” says Momofuku Daisho chef de cuisine Paula Navarrette as she ladles soup into bowls at her parents’ house in Burlington. And that means learning to perfect her family’s favourite dish, the Colombian staple ajiaco, a chicken and potato soup topped with rice, avocados, corn, capers, cilantro and whipped cream.
Growing up in the city of Cali in southwest Colombia, Paula would eat this soup every Sunday and it’s something her grandma still makes when they go back to visit. It’s through her grandmother that Paula developed an interest in cooking as a kid. That, and not wanting to clean up.
“My mom had a schedule for washing dishes and the rule is that if you cooked, you didn’t have to wash dishes,” she says. “I hated washing dishes; that’s how I started cooking.”
She chose not to follow her parents’ engineering career paths and her dad needed some extra convincing in the beginning, but her mom told her to go for it. Once they saw her on opening day at Momofuku, cooking for hundreds at Noodle Bar, they knew she made the right career choice. Now they both ask for cooking tips.
“I said ‘as long as you’re happy, I’m happy,’ ” says Marta. “She needs to do things that makes her happy.”
Paula Navarrete’s Ajiaco Soup
3 Star Tested For a shortcut version, use chicken broth and boneless, skinless chicken breasts for easier shredding, or leftover cooked rotisserie chicken with the skin removed. Papa criolla are small, round yellow and creamy potatoes synonymous with Colombian cooking and can be found frozen at Latin markets. When defrosted, you can peel the skin right off with your fingers. Any leftover papa criollos can be fried in a hot skillet with butter and a sprinkling of salt. For the soup 12 cups (3 L) no-salt added chicken broth or water 1 whole chicken, separated into wings, legs and breasts 6 green onions, tied into a bundle 1 minced garlic clove 2 bay leaves Salt and pepper, to taste 3 corn cobs cut crosswise into quarters or 2 cups frozen corn kernels 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 4 to 6 small red potatoes, peeled and sliced 10-12 papa criolla or small Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled 1 tsp (5 mL) dried guasca or dried oregano Small handful fresh cilantro, tied into a bundle For the toppings 2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into bite-sized chunks 1cup (250 mL) (250 mL) sour cream or crème fraîche 1/2 cup (125 mL) capers Small handful fresh cilantro leaves 3 cups cooked white rice In a large stockpot over mediumhigh heat, combine water, chicken, green onions, garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
Remove chicken from pot and set aside on plate. When chicken is cool to handle, remove skins and shred meat. Discard bones.
Add corn, potatoes, guascas and cilantro to broth. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Skim any fat from surface. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove bay leaves, and cilantro and green onion bundles. Add cooked chicken back to pot and simmer for a few minutes to reheat chicken.
Ladle soup into serving bowls. Place avocados, cream, capers, cilantro leaves and cooked rice into bowls. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.