Modern working mums are finding that a little help in the kitchen goes a long way

Ong is determined to teach her daughter Helena and son Ethan how to cook when they are older, so that cooking becomes a family activity. — ONG LEAH LEE

For centuries, mothers in Asia have played pivotal roles in home kitchens across the continent. From China to India to Malaysia, women have been the arteries pumping life into the heart of traditional home-cooked meals, which they dutifully churned out day after day to feed their hungry families. In many instances, this responsibility was fulfilled largely out of obligation and in response to what had become a clearly defined gender role.

In Baba Nyonya communities for instance, recipes were often tightly guarded by family matriarchs who only passed them down the female line i.e. to their daughters or daughters-in-law.