Maria's Filling Revolution: How One Customer Changed Everything

The Regular Who Became a Legend

Every bakery has its regulars. You know, the ones who come in every Tuesday at 10:00 AM sharp, order the same thing, chat about the weather, and leave with a smile. We get customers from all over Singapore - from Orchard shoppers to Woodlands residents making the trip down.

Maria was not that kind of regular.

Maria was a 78-year-old Singaporean grandmother from Yishun with opinions about everything food-related, and she wasn’t shy about sharing them.

”Andy, Your Curry Pie is… Nice”

In Singapore, when someone says your food is “nice,” they’re being polite. It means “acceptable, but…” followed by what they really think.

One Thursday morning, Maria walked into our kitchen (yes, the actual kitchen, past the counter, bold as brass) holding our curry chicken pie with a look I can only describe as “disappointed but determined to fix you.”

“Andy,” she said, “your curry pie is nice. But it could be sedap.”

Sedap. Delicious in Malay. The highest praise. And she was implying we didn’t have it.

The Challenge

“You use curry powder, yes?” she asked, not really asking.

I nodded.

“Ah, that’s your problem. You need to make proper curry paste. Fresh. With coconut milk, lemongrass, makrut lime leaves. You’re making British curry in a pie. This is Singapore! We can do better!”

Now, my grandmother’s recipe had used curry powder for three generations. It was traditional. Classic. British.

But Maria had a point.

The Kitchen Takeover

Before I could protest, Maria had tied on an apron (one she brought from home!) and started pulling ingredients from her massive handbag: fresh turmeric root, galangal, shallots, lemongrass stalks (she mentioned getting the best ones from the wet market near Jurong West), and a paste container that she described as “proper curry from my kitchen.”

Marcus nearly choked on his coffee.

The Result

We spent the next three hours together, Maria teaching me to make a proper Southeast Asian curry paste from scratch. The kitchen smelled AMAZING. Pungent. Aromatic. Nothing like the gentle curry powder I was used to.

When we finally tested it in a pie…

It was transcendent.

The curry was complex, layered, with that perfect balance of spice, sweetness, and coconut richness. The chicken was tender. The potatoes soaked up all those wonderful flavors.

Marcus took one bite and declared, “Andy, this needs to be on the menu. Like, yesterday.”

The New Recipe

That day, Maria’s Curry Chicken Pie was born. It’s now one of our bestsellers, and yes, we credit Maria on the menu.

What Makes It Special:

The Spice Paste:

• Fresh turmeric and galangal (not powder!)
• Lemongrass and makrut lime leaves for that citrus punch
• Shallots and garlic pounded into submission
• A secret blend Maria made me promise not to share completely 😉

The Coconut Milk:

• Full-fat, none of that light stuff
• Added at just the right moment to keep it creamy, not grainy

The Technique:

• Toast the spice paste until fragrant (this is KEY!)
• Add protein, let it sear
• Then the coconut milk, low and slow