Sunday Independent (Ireland)

Maia Dunphy

The broadcaste­r and writer on why she quit drinking wine, and the reason she suffered through a dish of ‘river fish’ in Malaysia

- What is your comfort food? What is your hangover cure? What do you drink? What’s your sweet treat? Worst meal ever? In conversati­on with Chloe Brennan

What was your favourite childhood meal?

My mum will kill me for saying this, as she can cook far more impressive dishes, but she used to make a tuna and spinach pasta dish that I and my sister, Anna, would will with all our might to be on the table as we walked home from school. It was creamy, garlicky and just the most comforting plate of food. I’ve never been able to recreate it. I also have lovely memories of my Spanish granny making paella in a dish the size of the table, although you ran the risk of finding pretty much anything in it.

What is the meal you will always remember?

The Fat Duck [in Berkshire, in England] was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experience­s, and we were given a tour of Heston’s kitchen to boot. At the other end of the spectrum, my pal Alice and I spent a year living in Malaysia, and the local night market sold pork dumplings with a little plastic bag of garlic dipping sauce which melted in your mouth. I’ve never tasted any as good since.

What was your defining food experience?

There isn’t one in particular, but mastering a few basic dishes and realising the joy of cooking for other people is a lovely milestone — for those who reach it.

What is the first dish you ever cooked?

God, I can’t remember! My mum taught me a few basics, so it was probably a lasagne. When I went travelling for a couple of years, our staples were baked potatoes with simple toppings, bolognese sauce used myriad ways — which surely should be considered an essential life skill now — and stir-fries. Classic pre-25-year-old fodder, generally speaking!

Bread. I could never give it up.

Buttered toast, Keogh’s salted crisps and Super Noodles — not all on the same plate.

I quit drinking wine altogether a couple of years ago, which broke my heart a little, but it just doesn’t like me. I still have my beloved vodka and Diet Coke though, and I’d never turn down a glass of Champagne.

What is the most appetising smell in the world?

Walking into my mum’s kitchen — every time!

You can go anywhere and have anything to eat with any one person. Where, what and who?

I’m hoping to take my son Tom on a world trip in a few years, when he’s old enough to remember it! So I have this idyllic notion of us sitting somewhere exotic and eating something delicious in a street market in a far-flung place. If it all falls through, it’ll be a picnic on Dollymount Strand.

Dylan McGrath has a croissant-based bread-and-butter pudding at Fade Street Social that would give you indecent thoughts it’s so good.

While living in Malaysia, we were invited to a friend’s family home for dinner. They served something they called ‘river fish’. Every mouthful was full of tiny, sharp bones and it was a horrible experience, but being Irish abroad, we didn’t want to offend and just got through it.

Maia is the ambassador for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) Switch On campaign. The campaign encourages consumers to switch on to their savings, their safety and their rights. See cru.ie

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