In February this year, Mediacorp actress Hong Ling announced that her Thai mother,
The 30-year-old actress' mum, who was from Nong Khai in northeast Thailand, was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer in May 2024.
It's been four months since her passing, and Hong is hoping to recreate her mother's lost Thai Laksa in memory of her. So in a recent episode of CNA's On The Red Dot: Finding Lost Recipes, she received help from MasterChef Singapore alumnus
"I really miss her a lot. My mum actually cooked a lot for the family, and one of my favourite dishes is this Thai laksa. Even in her last days, she cooked this dish for me as well, so it's a memory of her," recalled the actress.
This is why Hong would visit any Thai restaurant she sees these days, hoping to find the dish similar to what her mum made. Unfortunately, none of their Thai laksas tasted quite the same.
The actress also didn't learn to cook the dish as her mother always prepared it for them.
"I took it for granted," she said, adding that her mum didn't leave behind any recipes as she wasn't the type who would "cook by reading the recipe".
"My future children won't get the chance to meet her. So I'd like to preserve this recipe for my future children," she added.
The actress has been married to Mediacorp actor Nick Teo since December 2023. She unfortunately suffered a miscarriage 11 weeks into her pregnancy in February this year.
From left: MasterChef Singapore alumnus Jonathan Ng, Hong Ling and her father, Hong YIshu, tasting the Thai laksa dish Hong's late mother used to make. (Photo: CNA/On The Red Dot)
After having a taste test at a restaurant and speaking to a chef from Chiang Mai, Ng and Hong finally learnt that the Thai laksa she had been eating is actually a dish called Kanom Jeen Nam Ya, a spicy fish curry served over rice noodles.
The two visited Hong's maiden home, where her mother's kitchen was still left intact.
Looking at photos of her mother, the actress confessed that she "feels very different" in her old house.
"When I used to come back home, it was very noisy. My mum would be in the kitchen cooking for us and we would talk. Normally I'd smell Thai food around the house because it's very strong. But now, it just feels like [an empty] house," she elaborated.
Despite her illness, Hong's mother continued to cook for the family every single day until she could no longer do so in January this year.
One of the last few dishes she made was the Kanom Jeen Nam Ya.
The duo also took this time to speak to Hong's father, Hong Yishu, to get more clues about her dish.
Photos of Hong Ling's parents when they were younger. (Photos: CNA/On The Red Dot)
Recalling their love story, he revealed that he had met his late wife in the Sai Yok camp when he went to Bangkok, Thailand, for reservist training for three weeks in 1990.
Madam Kaewsoda was working as a dishwasher in a tze char stall in the military camp at that time, and he fell in love at first sight.
"Just to take a photo with her, I had to wait at the back for her to throw out the rubbish so that I could see her. They were quite strict about not meeting boys in private," he reminisced.
After getting to know Madam Kaewsoda, who was still living in a village at that time, the elder Hong then asked her dad for permission to bring her to Singapore, where they eventually got married.
He also shared that his wife was a great cook and was able to recreate any dish as long as she had tasted it.
Going back to the Thai laksa, he said that his wife had cooked that dish for a really long time and had made a few tweaks to the recipe ever since.
After more intel from Hong's father and a relative, as well as a few attempts at making the dish, chef Ng was finally able to recreate a dish highly similar to what Hong's mother made.
After trying it, Hong's father was overcome with emotion, and gushed that "the smell is the same" and that it tastes similar to what his late wife used to make. She agreed as well.
The elder Hong then confessed: "I miss her very much" before smiling and nodding at Ng in appreciation.
Meanwhile, the actress acknowledged that the noodles "wouldn't be 100 per cent the same, for sure" but being able to create something similar was "good enough".
"I'm very happy and touched about it. Thank you so much," she said.
At the end, Ng also gifted the father-and-daughter duo with a recipe for the Kanom Jeen Nam Ya they had that day, so that they could recreate it in the future.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...
The 30-year-old actress' mum, who was from Nong Khai in northeast Thailand, was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer in May 2024.
It's been four months since her passing, and Hong is hoping to recreate her mother's lost Thai Laksa in memory of her. So in a recent episode of CNA's On The Red Dot: Finding Lost Recipes, she received help from MasterChef Singapore alumnus
"I really miss her a lot. My mum actually cooked a lot for the family, and one of my favourite dishes is this Thai laksa. Even in her last days, she cooked this dish for me as well, so it's a memory of her," recalled the actress.
This is why Hong would visit any Thai restaurant she sees these days, hoping to find the dish similar to what her mum made. Unfortunately, none of their Thai laksas tasted quite the same.
The actress also didn't learn to cook the dish as her mother always prepared it for them.
"I took it for granted," she said, adding that her mum didn't leave behind any recipes as she wasn't the type who would "cook by reading the recipe".
"My future children won't get the chance to meet her. So I'd like to preserve this recipe for my future children," she added.
The actress has been married to Mediacorp actor Nick Teo since December 2023. She unfortunately suffered a miscarriage 11 weeks into her pregnancy in February this year.
From left: MasterChef Singapore alumnus Jonathan Ng, Hong Ling and her father, Hong YIshu, tasting the Thai laksa dish Hong's late mother used to make. (Photo: CNA/On The Red Dot)
After having a taste test at a restaurant and speaking to a chef from Chiang Mai, Ng and Hong finally learnt that the Thai laksa she had been eating is actually a dish called Kanom Jeen Nam Ya, a spicy fish curry served over rice noodles.
The two visited Hong's maiden home, where her mother's kitchen was still left intact.
Looking at photos of her mother, the actress confessed that she "feels very different" in her old house.
"When I used to come back home, it was very noisy. My mum would be in the kitchen cooking for us and we would talk. Normally I'd smell Thai food around the house because it's very strong. But now, it just feels like [an empty] house," she elaborated.
Despite her illness, Hong's mother continued to cook for the family every single day until she could no longer do so in January this year.
One of the last few dishes she made was the Kanom Jeen Nam Ya.
The duo also took this time to speak to Hong's father, Hong Yishu, to get more clues about her dish.
Photos of Hong Ling's parents when they were younger. (Photos: CNA/On The Red Dot)
Recalling their love story, he revealed that he had met his late wife in the Sai Yok camp when he went to Bangkok, Thailand, for reservist training for three weeks in 1990.
Madam Kaewsoda was working as a dishwasher in a tze char stall in the military camp at that time, and he fell in love at first sight.
"Just to take a photo with her, I had to wait at the back for her to throw out the rubbish so that I could see her. They were quite strict about not meeting boys in private," he reminisced.
After getting to know Madam Kaewsoda, who was still living in a village at that time, the elder Hong then asked her dad for permission to bring her to Singapore, where they eventually got married.
He also shared that his wife was a great cook and was able to recreate any dish as long as she had tasted it.
Going back to the Thai laksa, he said that his wife had cooked that dish for a really long time and had made a few tweaks to the recipe ever since.
After more intel from Hong's father and a relative, as well as a few attempts at making the dish, chef Ng was finally able to recreate a dish highly similar to what Hong's mother made.
After trying it, Hong's father was overcome with emotion, and gushed that "the smell is the same" and that it tastes similar to what his late wife used to make. She agreed as well.
The elder Hong then confessed: "I miss her very much" before smiling and nodding at Ng in appreciation.
Meanwhile, the actress acknowledged that the noodles "wouldn't be 100 per cent the same, for sure" but being able to create something similar was "good enough".
"I'm very happy and touched about it. Thank you so much," she said.
At the end, Ng also gifted the father-and-daughter duo with a recipe for the Kanom Jeen Nam Ya they had that day, so that they could recreate it in the future.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...