Ode to grandma: 10 heirloom recipes to preserve

From incredibly fluffy sponge cakes to heart-warming parmigiana, here are a few dishes passed down from nanas around the world.

Grandma's lamb curry Source: Sai Yogant

--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw airs weeknights at 7pm on SBS Food (Ch.33). All episodes are available anytime on SBS On Demand.  ---

Grandmother’s wontons

Claudia Chan Shaw shares her grandmother's wonton recipe, but with her version of tart and sweet sauce. Watching her grandmother make these wontons is one of her fond childhood memories. These can be in a soup or fried.

Grandmother’s wonton Source: Adam Liaw

Nonna Irene’s sausage stew with soft polenta

If it's an Italian nonna's recipe, you know that it shall be three things: delicious, comforting and served in a quantity that far exceeds the capacity of one's stomach. This stew served atop a bed of creamy polenta very much hits all three marks!

Nonna Irene’s sausage stew with soft polenta Source: Cook like an Italian

Grandma's soy-sauce braised pork belly

There are many variations of braised pork belly, but this recipe has been passed down to Adam Liaw, from his grandmother. Marinated in sweet and salty soy blend, and braised for around an hour, the dish goes perfectly well with rice and hard-boiled eggs.

Source: Adam Liaw

Grandma's lamb curry

This curry has a special place for Sai Yoganathan. Passed down from her grandmother to her mother, it is now her family's favourite Sunday lunch. Traditionally made with quality farmed goat meat, lamb works perfectly, too.

Grandma's lamb curry Source: Sai Yogant

Eggplant parmigiana (Parmigiana Siciliana della nonna)

Home cook Paolo pays homage to his Sicilian grandmother by cooking up her parmigiana and combining fried eggplants with grated mozzarella, pecorino and parmesan. Paolo's secret ingredient? Smoked leg ham slices.

Eggplant Parmigiana (Parmigiana Siciliana della Nonna) Source: The Chefs' Line Series 2

My nan’s sponge cake

Nans sure know how to sponge cake, especially Donna Hay's hand-me-down. This sponge is light, airy, and worthy of passing down for generations.

My nan's sponge cake Source: Donna Hay

Nan's cherry cream cheese strudel

Janelle Bloom shares her Hungarian grandmother's cream cheese strudel recipe with luscious cherries. If time allows, drain the ricotta in the fridge for 1–2 hours before making the filling.

Source: SBS

Urti pie

This is Damien Coulthard's Nana Barb's recipe. Most of his family members make this pie, which is renowned in the Flinders Ranges, home of the urti (quandong). "So when we make this pie, it’s in Nana Barb’s honour. She had a real sweet tooth!"\

Urti Pie Source: Warndu Mai (Good Food)

Nana’s date nut loaf

This simple, yet exceptional date and nut loaf comes from Jacqui Israel's grandmother, which has been passed down through generations. Serve with a generous spread of butter and some strong cuppa.

Source: Harper Collins

Churros with chocolate-custard sauce

The Chef's Line contestant, Adrian Feher remembers standing on a chair, watching his grandmother cook this Spanish doughnut recipe. What makes this so special is the silky smooth chocolate custard dipping sauce.

Churros with chocolate-custard sauce Source: China Squirrel

More grandma hand-me-downs can be found here.