Describe a strong memory based upon a smell

forgotten favorite dish

It was a day when I came back home after school, although being exhausted, I became conscious by the smell of a dish spread from my neighborhood's kitchen. I thought: "Oh, that smell is similar to the smell of my favorite dish when I was a little girl". That smell reminded me of my family dinner, I missed the taste of that dish which my mom cooked for me whenever I got good marks because she knew I was fond of eating chicken curry rather than any other dishes. She cooked it for me as a small gift for my effort in studying hard. Chicken curry made by my mom was a motivation for me to put more effort into studying to be able to eat more chicken curry. As I am now studying far from home, it also reminded me of the cozy atmosphere of my family dinner, the time when every member of my family gathered together, talked about their days, asked after each other and laughed about every funny things. I wished I would have time to reunite with my family when the summer came.

Dang, you need to be more descriptive of the smell that is driving this memory of yours. The reader should be able to practically smell the dish through your description of the smells that emanated from the kitchen of your neighbor. This description will only be effective if the reader can practically smell the dish as you describe it. For example, you could have said:

As I walked up the walk after school, my stomach grumbling as the last meal I had was 5 hours earlier, I was greeted by a familiar smell. Our neighbor's kitchen window was open and from there, the smell of boiling coconut milk permeated the air. It brought back memories of my childhood. I could not help but stop and relish the smell that made my hunger pains increase. As the coconut milk smell mixed with curry, I found myself closing my eyes, suddenly being drawn back to my childhood and my mother's kitchen...

Associate each smell with something from your childhood. Describe the smell of the dish as it is being cooked. That is the best approach to writing this essay.