Laksa, prawn toast, curry puffs and more in book of recipes that’s a love letter from Dominica Yang to her mother who cooked them when she was growing up in Hong Kong
- Dominica Yang’s latest cookbook, Mum’s Kitchen – Back to Basics, based on her mother’s handwritten recipes, features a mix of Asian and international dishes
- Fun illustrations by Hong Kong cartoon artist Tweety Bao from the book are on display at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, in Wan Chai
Every page of Dominica Yang’s latest cookbook, Mum’s Kitchen – Back to Basics, triggers happy food memories.
“I grew up with food,” says Hong Kong-born Yang. “My family did a lot of bonding through the cooking, eating and sharing of food […] conversations were always about food.”
The cookbook, Yang’s fourth, showcases 30 Western, Chinese and Southeast Asian dishes and is a tribute to her “kind mother”, Lucia, who nurtured her love of cooking.
“When I was cleaning out our family home of 62 years I found a lot of mum’s handwritten recipes,” she says, adding that she was encouraged by family and friends to share them in a book.
Some recipes – Kin’s Laksa (“it’s all about the prawn stock and lai fun noodles”) and Sambal Udang (prawns in chilli paste) – have a strong Malaysian influence, reflecting the time Yang’s mother spent in Kuala Lumpur as a teenager. Others, such as the “lil devil prawn toast” and mini curry puffs, are a nod to her “amazing host” mother.