Among my memories of my MaMa, the image of her standing over the stove in the kitchen is the most vivid in my mind.

My MaMa loved to cook and was a very hospitable and welcoming person. When she was still with us, she would spent hours cooking her most scrumptious meals for the entire family – five children and their spouses, and nine grandchildren! Besides our large family, she was always entertaining and feeding family friends at our ever expanding dining table.

One of our favourites of her creation was Ayam Buah Keluak. When I was younger and did not know any better, I used to eat only the chicken in this dish and was terrified of “that black stuff” called buah keluak! It was only when I was almost 30 years old that I decided to taste the buah keluak. There was no turning back for me – I was completely hooked to the aroma and unique taste of this “black stuff”!

From then, I would request MaMa to cook this dish whenever I was home for dinner.

When Mama passed on, some family members inherited bits and pieces of her jewellery. I, however, inherited her recipe book, which in my opinion, was far more precious to me than gold!

That was when it all began…

In the past, I would watch MaMa work on the Ayam Buah Keluak dish for hours, but it never really struck me how tedious it was until I actually started cooking this dish myself! There are so many steps! From the meticulous scrubbing and cleaning of the buah keluak seeds, to the vicious pounding of all the rempah ingredients in the pestle & mortar, MaMa’s AyamBuah Keluak is a labour of love indeed.

Every time I cook this dish, I can feel the warmth of my MaMa’s touch and her tireless effort in caring and feeding our family with the most delicious food.

I dedicate my contribution of my MaMa’s Ayam Buah Keluak in My Singapore Food to my MaMa. Thank you, MaMa.