Ramadan and Hari Raya 2025
Every Ramadan is an opportunity to make those around us feel especially seen, loved and cared for. For Khalil, our dear colleague and friend, it’s an opportunity to do something special for his mum (or Aunty Mas, as we call her), who has been by his side, supporting his health recovery journey for the last couple of months.
Oftentimes, we tend to forget that caretakers, selfless as they are, deserve to be taken care of. And for us, there’s no better way to show love and gratitude than by cooking for our loved ones, especially if it’s a nostalgic home-cooked dish.
Candice, Kelly, Hao Jie feeling welcomed at Aunty Mas’ lovely home.
Khalil’s dish of choice for his mum is begedil. This humble yet flavourful dish is a reminder of the cherished warmth and love in the form of home-cooked food from his nani’s (grandmother), who used to make this dish for them!
Beef begedil is a Malay-style fried potato patty made with mashed boiled potatoes, spices and minced meat, crispy on the outside and fluffy soft on the inside.
It’s all hands on deck to make it just the way Aunty Mas likes it. For most of our Meatmen team, begedil is a childhood staple eaten as a post-meal snack, or paired with flavourful mee rebus and mee soto. It’s a familiar indulgence, unless you ask Kelly the carb-hater who has never had it before.
Our begedil-making day was a wholesome one, filled with both joyful and stressful moments — or as Hao Jie described it, “chaotic and fun lor…”. Here’s our team’s run down of how it went, and the moment of truth if we passed mum’s final taste test:
Showing Appreciation
Is cooking your preferred way of showing appreciation for someone?
Kelly: I’m an “acts of service” person, and food is so essential in our culture… So to be able to recreate Auntie Mas’ favourite food felt like the best way to show my appreciation to her.
Hao Jie: Not a fan of cooking, but I believe that making meaningful dishes for someone you love is something special.
Candice: Someone taking the time and energy and effort to cook something, just because they want to see you taken care of and fed; there’s so much preciousness in that simplicity.
Peek-a-boo – Kelly and her begedil!
Cooking for someone, whether intentional or a “I’ll just cook an extra portion” thought, is one of the greatest acts of love there is. Especially if you’re someone who could only cook cup noodles.
Any thoughts on what this would mean to Khalil’s mum?
Kelly: In my opinion, people especially mothers who constantly give tend to forget to care for themselves too as they’re so focused on giving to their family without expecting anything in return. Motherly-instinct, some might say!
Candice: Personally, the begedils were my vessels of appreciation; a reminder that we see all she has done, what she has gone through, and how grateful we are for her.
Making Begedils
As Candice, Hao Jie and Kelly are usually the ones behind the camera, this was a new experience for them. Still, they wanted to do justice to Khalil’s grandmother’s recipe, despite not being professional chefs.
Take me into the kitchen with you—what was the energy like when you started cooking?
Candice: There was a lot of laughter, some “are we doing this right?” moments, and an unspoken pressure lingering in the air to get it right—not for ourselves, but for his mom. The kitchen smelled amazing, though, so that kinda pulled us through.
Kelly: I was so stressed about remembering my lines and keeping track of time during the shoot. But with Hao Jie and Candice, it took the stress away.
What were the memorable moments for you?
Kelly: While cooking, I recalled how Khalil frequently cooked team lunches for us in the office. I felt like I was able to do the same for him but for his mother.
Candice: Doesn’t sound as grand, but washing the potatoes. I remember the first content I did with Khalil, where I was an even “fresher” chef in the kitchen. He taught me the classic basic kitchen skills anyone should have; cracking an egg, cutting an avocado and as you’d have it, washing potatoes. It felt like a full circle — practising the knowledge he taught me, on a food for his mother.
Hao Jie: When the begedil finally looked like an actual begedil…
Whilst not knowing how the begedil will turn out when moulding them, there’s a thrill in shaping each piece, hoping it holds together and anticipating that perfect golden brown as it fries. It’s all a test of patience, a leap of faith, and that first bite that proves the effort was worth it.
Any “we completely messed this up” moments?
Cooking involves trial and error, and it’s not The Meatmen Studio without some semi-chaotic moments in the kitchen. We love to see it, though!
Kelly: Hao Jie questioned the recipe step of “deep frying” the potatoes instead of boiling them, but I told him I’m sure it’s correct. So when the potatoes were turning dark brown but not softening… I internally panicked and thought that I might have gotten it wrong.
Candice: Khalil actually uses mortar and pestle to smash his fried potatoes, but we thought a masher would speed things up. It didn’t cross our minds that the fried parts of the potato would be smushed and block everything else. But I also think that’s half the fun and learning what works best!
How did you feel when you finally finished cooking?
A big trust-in-the-process mindset while crossing our fingers that it’s actually edible.It wasn’t just edible, it was tasty!
Candice: I was pleasantly surprised, despite taking longer than expected. I guess that’s what every homecook who tries something new in the kitchen feels…We were just looking at one another and going “oh my gosh it tastes like the real thing”.
Kelly: I felt a sense of accomplishment and relief that we actually made it taste and look good.
Giving to Auntie Mas
The moment Kelly gifted the begedil made with love to Aunty Mas.
Did she react as you hoped?
Kelly: She showered all three of us with even more appreciation than I had expected. It brought back memories of her mother’s nasi padang shop which I just learned about that day.
Candice: She shared how she wasn’t confident in making it, that nothing could beat her mother’s recipe, and that she was so excited to try it! She was such a dear, cooking extra portions of her lunch for us when she knew we were coming over.
Was there a moment—maybe in something she said or did—that made you feel like everything was worth it?
Kelly: When we were all eating together and we were listening to her reminisce the stories of her mother’s shop and how her second son really loved and only ate his nani’s (grandmother’s) begedils. It was really nostalgic and reminded me of how food is tied to special moments we share.
Hao Jie: After she took the second Begedil!
Candice: It’s always when they take a second serving, that’s when you know they genuinely like the food. Honestly, everything was worth it from the start – the desire to repay the kindness from someone who deserves it, with people who have that same desire. I still hold that experience close to my heart.
We only know the surface of what you have sacrificed and done for the people around you, and it runs deeper into your everyday life when we don’t see you. What you do is truly inspirational, and I just know that all of these good deeds you put out in the world will find their way back to you!
If you could cook for her again, what would you make next?
Hao Jie: Khalil’s family curry!
Kelly: I would want to cook WITH her and it could be her signature dish or her comfort food. I’ll love to hear more of her stories through that experience.
Candice: Maybe make another of Nani’s recipes with her.
A message for Aunty Mas.
Kelly: Thank you for inviting us into your home and showing us so much love.
Hao Jie: Thank you for taking care of Khalil!
Candice: I would want to say many things, but essentially it’s a big thank you, Auntie Mas.
Appreciating loved ones for Ramadan and Hari Raya
Watch how we made begedil and shared it with Aunty Mas on YouTube!
Showing appreciation to people in our lives isn’t a one-and-done activity. We can still show up in so many ways every day.
How we show appreciation is different for everyone, and do what fits your capacity to give and receive. Grab a few friends, turn it into a fun activity, maybe use a recipe or two — and then share the love! It was so worth it for us, and we’re sure it will be for you too.
