We confess – as a team, we have a very interesting habit. While we’re eating one meal, we’re already thinking of our next. One lunchtime, however, our desultory conversation turned into a heated debate. The topic? The one dish we would personally cook for our parents.
Our discussion was wide-ranging and amicable - from seafood to meats, from rice to noodles, from Chinese to European – until this question came up: if there could be only one choice, what would it be?
We started squabbling. We got rowdy. Finally, we decided that we had to put it to a vote, a write-in vote.
5 recipes, 2 rounds, 1 winner. No anonymity!
Here are our results.
Hero Image credit: Credit- Getty Images/iStockphoto | Creator- IconicBestiary
THE NOMINATED RECIPES
Alphabetical order!
Braised Pork Rice
https://thewoksoflife.com/lu-rou-fan-taiwanese-braised-pork-rice-bowl/
L-R: braised pork rice image from Spice The Plate, and The Woks of Life
- Isaac notes that a braised pork rice bowl might seem easy but, in reality, it is tedious and time-consuming. “The pork must be braised to exactly the right tenderness. It’s the perfect way to show our love.”
Chilli Crab
https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/life-in-food-with-violet-oon-how-to-cook-chilli-crab
Image credit Red House Seafood
- Because, according to Gladys, this vibrant messy delight is “the ultimate communal dish, best shared with loved ones”. No need to worry about dining etiquette!
Macaroni Soup
https://www.theseasonedwok.com/hong-kong-macaroni-soup-recipe/
- Clair thinks that this is “the go-to comfort food... It’s a dish that adapts to every mood and need; yet [it] always feels like a warm hug.”
Mapo Tofu
https://www.madewithlau.com/recipes/mapo-tofu-pork
- “This dish delivers just the right amount of heat, balanced by a rich, savoury sauce…” Sheryl contemplates. “Simple, familiar, and deeply satisfying.”
Porchetta
https://www.seriouseats.com/all-belly-porchetta-recipe-italian-roast-pork
Image credit: Serious Eats | J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
- Because of its “crispy crispy crispy skin (say good things thrice!)… Very heaty, but well worth it,” insists Nick.
ROUND ONE
“Allez Cuisine!” – The Chairman, Iron Chef
The rules:
- One person has two votes
- Each vote must be accompanied by their reason for their vote.
- The top three head straight into Round Two!
The first round went fast and furious, with two clear favourites rising to the top:
- Porchetta, because the recipe had everyone at “crispy crispy crispy skin (yes, must say thrice)”, according to Merissa
And,
- Mapo Tofu, because this is “a wonderful dish to go with rice. I will tweak the heat level so that my non-spice-tolerant family can enjoy it,” says Gladys.
There was only one vote difference. Interestingly, there was a tie for third place!
- Chilli Crab – 3rd place tie
- Macaroni Soup – 3rd place tie
L-R: macaroni soup image from The Seasoned Wok, and mapo tofu image from the Omnivore Cookbook
For no reason at all, we’re not allowing any ties, so we had a quick-fire tiebreaker, and – drumroll, please! – third place goes to Chilli Crab!
ROUND TWO: THE FINALS
Contestants:
Porchetta
- Supporter Jiahui says, “My family loves roast pork, especially the crispy part. They’ve eaten the Chinese style of roast pork many times but have not yet tried any of the European or American versions. I’d love to cook something like this for them to try.”
Mapo Tofu
- Supporter Natalie declares that this “is a lovely dish to make for big families, just like mine! I can tailor the spice level accordingly and it’s easy to adapt to their liking. It’s a great dish that suits both young and old.”
Chilli Crab
- Supporter Matthew reminisces, “My family loves chilli crab — we first had it when we were introduced to it during our first time in Singapore around 18 years ago, and it has since become a once-a-year tradition for us. Though it’s tedious to prepare and somewhat tricky to eat, that has never deterred my parents. This dish would be a wonderful reminder of our first year in Singapore.”
WINNER
Porchetta
Image credit: Serious Eats | J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
This all-pork-belly recipe from Serious Eats won with a huge margin: it won 61.5% of votes from the final round. Some loved how it used mainly passive cooking methods, offering impactful results with lower effort; and some just thought that there was almost a touch of luxury to this item since it requires so much of the premium belly cut and so much time.
And some – just because it looks and sounds so delicious! “I love a good roast pork,” is Michelle’s straightforward unarguable reason.
Do you agree? Would you try it?
