What’s For My Dinner?

A passionate home cook who finds comfort in the cooking process, watch Radhika, a happy mother of two daughters, serve up sumptuous Bengaluru confinement staples rava kesari and a hearty lentil curry with ginger and garlic chutney—dishes her mother once lovingly made for her during confinement to keep the body warm and nourished.

Traditional Cantonese confinement food focuses nourishing the new mother and aiding her recovery after childbirth. Watch how Audrey draws from her family tradition to serve up classic Cantonese confinement dishes she grew up with. Think sesame oil chicken, ginger-steamed fish, and double-boiled soups—meals designed to warm the body and replenish nutrients.

In Thai tradition, confinement meals are lovingly prepared by mothers and grandmothers to restore balance and build the mother’s strength after childbirth. The dishes are warm, easy to digest and rich in nutrients. Thanannat’s menu includes a Spicy Prawn Soup, Stir-fried Fish with Ginger Sauce and Vinegar Pork Trotters – dishes designed to promote blood circulation with “natural heat” from herbs and spices.

Cathy started learning cherished family recipes when she cared for her cousin during pregnancy more than a decade ago. Her menu features classic confinement dishes like pig’s trotters, ginger chicken and red date soup – each selected for its warming and healing qualities. A highlight of the meal is Chinese wine with chicken, made with a fragrant, amber-hued wine brewed at home.

Jen’s childhood is filled with memories of the warmth and familiar flavours of Hainanese chicken rice and pork chop – dishes lovingly prepared by her grandfather, who arrived in Singapore by boat from Hainan and worked as a cook and butler for a British family. These meals brought her family together, with her siblings and cousins eagerly devouring every bite. In MCF2025, Jen recreates and reimagines these comforting flavours for confinement, seeing them not just as nourishment, but as a tribute to her grandfather.

Born in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Vishakha recalled confinement meals as comforting and nourishing food prepared for mothers in the days and weeks after childbirth. You can look forward to a delicious spread featuring Red Amaranth Sabji (or stir-fried vegetables), Moong Dal (or split mung beans) and Bhakri (or flatbread).

Join us on a cosy evening as Nagaland-born Ella honours her grandparents born in the Ao and Mao tribes by recreating their treasured confinement dishes including dikgwatla, or pork trotter stew, and ofe nsala, a protein-rich catfish soup known for its distinctive flavour.

In Punjabi tradition, confinement care is often entrusted to the husband’s sister, who takes on the responsibility of preparing nourishing meals and supporting the new mother through recovery. For Vandana, pregnancy was a journey marked by severe morning sickness and homesickness. As the first in her family to conceive, her family rallied around her and prepared soft, vegetarian meals – lentil porridge and ladoos – to aid in her recovery. Join Vandana as she recreates her family’s treasured recipes in MCF2025.

Threadfin fish, prized for its delicate flavour and nourishing qualities, takes centre stage in Kenny’s interpretation of a Teochew confinement dinner. Served in four different ways - in clear soup, porridge, steamed and braised, this comforting meal highlights gentle flavours, traditional techniques, and the Teochew philosophy of simplicity, balance, and care.