How To Be Good

Raising a happy family has always been Fanty Soenardy’s priority. She tells suhana ab about her teenage kids and her secrets in the kitchen

- Suhana Ab

IT’S TWO DAYS past Valentine’s when we meet Fanty Soenardy but the occasion is still at the top of her mind. She and her husband Douglas Ong spent it at Michelin-starred restaurant Odette. Food — good food — always makes the couple happy. “There is something about food that brings people together. Many successful business deals have been discussed over food. Families get closer, friendships get tighter. It’s very true, don’t you think?” she says with a smile.

A meal together allows Soenardy and Ong, the founder of property developer Sustained Land, to catch up undisturbed. Such moments are precious to her, with the conversation shifting between their two children and their passions and aspirations, and everything in between.

“It is during meals that we get to talk. I do the same with our children, Louisa, 17, and Dillon, 15. Even if we don’t dine out, I cook a meal for them at home. It keep us close,” the 44-year-old shares.

It may be the world’s oldest trick to establishing positive human relationships, and the Indonesia-born and Singapore bred Soenardy remains its strongest advocate. As a child, she spent hours in the kitchen helping her own mother cook and bake. Not only did it contribute to the two women’s close relationship, but Soenardy herself is now a proficient cook and baker too.

Not convinced? One bite of her Indonesian kek lapis will turn you around. Moist and flavourful, it is a favourite among family and friends. Only a select circle of 20 (or several more) will receive one, which she makes as a gift for the Lunar New Year.

“It is my grandmother’s recipe. But baking a good lapis requires more than a recipe. Ingredients matter. I use only fresh eggs, Australian butter and Japanese flour. You have to learn to be alert too,” she lets on.