Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha haha no ryouri ga suki desu.

は is the topic marker. It tells us that “as for 私 (me),” the following statement applies. It doesn’t translate directly but sets the theme of the sentence.

Why is の used between 母 and 料理?

の expresses possession or attribution. So 母の料理 literally means “mother’s cooking” or “the cooking of (my) mother.”

Why is が used after 料理 instead of を?

Because 好き is not an action verb but a state (a na-adjective or “liking” noun), the thing you like becomes its subject/experiencer, marked by が. In other words, “(Mother’s) cooking is likable (to me).” That’s why we don’t use the object particle を here.

Is 好き an adjective or a noun?

Grammatically, 好き is treated like a na-adjective (sometimes called a “nominal adjective”). You can think of it as a noun meaning “liking” that uses the copula. When it modifies another noun, it takes な, e.g. 好きな食べ物 (“a favorite food”).

What is the function of です at the end?

です is the polite copula. It completes the sentence politely, similar to “is/am/are” in English, though 好き itself is not a true adjective in Japanese.

Can 私は be omitted in this sentence?

Yes. Japanese often drops the topic when it’s clear from context. You can simply say 母の料理が好きです and it will still mean “I like my mother’s cooking.”

How do you make this sentence negative (“I don’t like my mother’s cooking”)?

Replace 好きです with a negative form, for example:
• 母の料理が好きじゃないです。
• Or more formally: 母の料理が好きではありません。

How would you change it to say “I like my father’s cooking”?

Just swap 母 for 父:
私は父の料理が好きです。