Nostalgia is a Powerful Ingredient

I find nostalgia is best felt or experienced through food – like the scene in Disney’s Ratatouille, the cynical food critic gets a flashback of his childhood from the first bite. Food has the power to transport us to what we love and remind us of our most cherished memories.

Working full time and raising two young children, my mother’s go to meal would be Thai omelette, it was quick, easy and cheap.

Thai omelette is made with a combination of fish sauce, oyster sauce, ground pepper, minced pork, spring onions and plenty of hot oil. I ate this dish with rice and a sprinkle of Siracha countless times growing up, I still remember as a young child the sound of the fork hitting the bowl as she whisked the eggs and the smell of heated oil filling up the apartment, then the sizzling sounds as the egg mixture mingled with the hot oil.

Taking the first bite is always momentous. The compact texture and savoury taste of the eggs and pork combined with the hot, sour and spicy tang of the Siracha sauce, finally complimented with Jasmine rice, is the true embodiment of simple is best.

To this day it is still my favourite dish and I always eat it when I am in Thailand. It is a basic dish, but it is packed full of flavour and memories.