Cooking

"YY cooks!" B exclaimed... yesyes... times have really changed...

Today I decided to blog about a short history or shall I say triumph of my own cooking.

Growing up in a family where the mum is a fantastic cook may not be the best motivation for one to learn cooking. There is simply no need when good comfort food is readily available, I need just to wait and eat.

30 plus years and I never feel inspired to start cooking. I guess the first person(s) whom I should give credit to for making me take the mental leap that cooking is not rocket science is Fiona and Matt when I was in Toronto. She is a sous chef and he an ex-cook turned gardener. In the mornings, Fiona and me will spend time in the kitchen talking about food before she disappears for the day. In the evenings, Matt will invite me to share dinner and we will discuss vegetables while the chicken grills... For the first time, I feel that cooking need not be perfect. "Use my kitchen" they say, "anyone can cook"

Nice... Tempted. Not enough for action.

It was only because of his birthday some years back did I physically cook. Full credit must be given to my good mate, Peter Kelly. Knowing that I cannot even boil potatoes to save my life, Peter's recipe for steak with red wine reduction on a bed of mashed potatos and greens on the side is the most through and idiot proof recipe the world has witnessed.

It took him a full 2 hrs to explain to me every minute process and detail (literally down to what I can do with my idle left hand and the 2 min interval while the steak cooks). I kept the stacks of paper where Peter drew sections, diagrams, actual 1 to 1 ratio of the diced potato... true blue technical service director style! KUDOs...

He even brought me to the butcher to buy the meat!!! He would have insisted to get the greens and butter at cold storage together if not for the fact that my pride does not allow me to admit I have no clue on such simple tasks.

This first cooking trial must be so historic that even my big boss, JMB, gave me a half day to get ready. I started preparations at 3ish and finished cooking 2 steaks by 8.30pm. Peter Kelly cannot for hell's sake understand why his student need 5 hrs to cook but hey!!! not everyone is a natural ok! Important thing is the final product - Ken finished everything, loving every bite. I was too hot and exhausted to honestly enjoy. That night, arm muscles which I did not know I even had, ached. Had to wake Ken up to massage me! Think I had cramps.

Look at the photos!!! aint it great? Quite Pro huh....

Then that was it... for the longest time, steak with red wine reduction is the only dish I know how to make. Fine, I cooked it ONCE... Early this year, we finally got our own place. Newly married, suddenly I see the importance of cooking! Picked up a few simple dishes from mimi and for a while it was good. But various upsetting setbacks  eventually make cooking very discouraging and exhausting.

Recently, a friend got me all inspired again. Introducing Florence, our office receptionist! A young little gal but what a good cook she is! Sharing recipes and doing grocery shopping became our favorite past time!

Chicken and potato stew. Dont look too good but wow... the goddess of comfort food and one of Gunnar's fav (out of the 3 dishes i cooked for him anyway)Sweet and sour pork. Effort dish, should have used green capcium for better colors... 7/10! I am almost there! reaching perfection...

Black Bean Fish. My pride and joy... this is fantastic, I am really good at cooking these days!!

Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings. Such a simple dish but be prepared to chop garlic till ur wrist breaks. Good recommendation Florence!Fried Rice. Tried many versions but this one is truly the best! I like the bit of salted egg york flavor...

Saturaday morning breakfast. Meat patty, honey apple ham, tomato, poached egg and cheese in warm ciabatta loaf plus tray of honey kiwi and prunes at the side -

Ok, some days are a Boo Boo. Saw a photo of a porkchop w potato in Bakerzin's menu and tried to replicate it. It says "succulent pork loin pan grilled with garlic, parsley, butter and olive oil with a side serving of sauteed potatoes and Dijon mustard- $19.90".

Tried to top up with a light mushroom spagehetti and greens. ok plus 2 slices of mushroom pizza... Just in case the food dun taste good..Mince meat in spagehetti? Yah just in case not enought meat for him. Egg? yah, just in case meat not nice... always another option... In the end. its a combo plate of everything because I cannot make up my mind!!! URGH!!!! (Plus I need to work on my colors!)

But.. But... taste is not bad... getting there.. getting there...Mince Meat Grilled Brinjal. Florence's reciple calls for steamed long brinjal. My mum says "no way brinjals should be steamed! Either fry or grill!! Go for Japanese round brinjals.. Better" I tried all ways/ kinds and it still taste strange... Damn... This is my fourth brinjal attempts and it is still.... bad. Florence, I tell u lah, the problem is your recipe.

Egg Omelete. There should be a sense of happiness when one eats egg omelete... Mine is tasteless. Was told it is a result of my damn tiny drop of oil and stingy usage of salt (a pinch is not a few grains) on a non stick pan. Ok! Healthy is not tasty...

Will keep you guys posted on more YY's cooking success and failures! Cheers..

Plants Chapter II

Realised that I have missed out on some of my plants. They told me so and they are feeling a bit sore about the entire affair.

My Java Palm -

honestly one of our very first immigrant and so far the tallest. It is forever the backdrop for the rest and boring to photograph so it never occur to me to introduce this loyal green. Er... its soil is now overgrown with mushrooms! Not so nice. Plus we saw a evil looking grasshopper amongst the leaves this weekend... no... not nice at all... Palm, can you please do some tidying up after yourself?

Lantana -

new kid on the block. My hot favorite - great body shape, colourful and smells great... of coz Xianger says its poisonous!!! First photo is whow it looked when we first bought it... last week, Ken fed it sum goat dung and suddenly we have n explosion of colors!!! The plant is "pu zua" (heaty)

Look Look... amazing colors! Different shades of pink (gee I really dont like pink). The orange blossoms are truly heaty outbreaks. Yellow! My fav! And the black flowers are not wilted versions of the whites.. they are actually BLACK... coolllll

Anthurium - just realised that my perfect white is not Calic lily but anthurium... geee. Oh check out my christmas fern at the bottom!!! it is flowering!!! Previously we tot it was half dead!

Erba Cipollina - This Dolly Lau appeared at my desk and gave me this sachet to grow. Told me its spice seeds that came free with the pan she bought. Yah, I can tell its spice but what spice is that? Wooo... one website says it means marijuana grass... nice.. Chey, google says is chives. Boring...

Green Fingers (trying) to be)

Our living room has a strip of planter latch and we have finally gotten to filling them up with greens... My oldest friend, Xianger advised us to start growing everything from seeds... do not buy from nursery because plants there contain a lot of fertiliser and pesticides... "Aiyah, caring for plants is just like caring for human beings. The more attention you give them, water and feed them, the happier they are and the healthier they will grow...". Since that fateful day, we have tried numerous seeds... bell pepers, chillies, tomatos, flowering plants, morning glory(that would be nice!!) etc.... We followed the instructions on the back of the seed packets diligently. Every weekend, planting and transplanting, going to various nurseries, talking to friendly uncles on how to fertilise, what pots to use... Sitting and getting our hands full of soil by the window became our favorite pastime. It is really insightful to see how plants grow from tiny seeds. We spent every free hour investigating and observing how the roots break the seed coat, secure themselves in the soil and carry their food sac proudly in the air with their newly "strengthened" stem... Most of our little seeds did burst into seedlings. Seeds taken care by me prosper... initially... But they never really grow into adulthood. My understanding with my plants is that we coexist, each minding our own business.... It was good, for a while... then non survived beyond sprouting 2 big leaves... They are simply too weak against the sourching sun (in all fairness, the sun killed my plants!!!) Seeds cared by him... well... slow start but they began life strong and well ... Let's say someone's extensive and prematured transplanting of the tender ones killed them all... ok, our first few tries did not really work out. We rightfully concluded that the problem lies with inferior quality seeds! HA! So he bought a pack of duber expensive "golden chili seeds" (literally golden seeds). Not only did the gold standards seedlings make a smooth transit beyond the 5 leave treshold - a historial feat (see above!), they are still going stronger by the day as we speak!!!! The power of life must be inspiring. The neighbouring mint seedling is now more than 10 leave strong as well! NOW WE ARE TALKING. It will take us years to green our little strip if we really start from seeds. Hence the shortcut - Bought a pot of White/green Calla and it has since gave us a 3rd perfect white flower... We one day came home to find a new contribution by Mimi - a marcotting of a "I dunno pink or blue flowering plant which I pluck from the CC" firmly secured in a spare pot of soil. It was all willowly leaves for weeks till suddenly we see a bud. A week later, it is certainly a white (pink? blue?) bud... one morning before work. WALA... a fragile but beautiful PINK blossom!!! By the time we came back from work, the flower has wilted and dropped off. This series of photos were taken on the second blossom. How short is this moment of glory... I only have this chance to photograph it before i leave for work. By nightfall, its gone... Our spiky fern is not looking so well, like Xianger said...Pandang leaves and our very first pots of "dunno wat" greens remains happy and healthy... Time to groom and add some pandang to dessert soup. Last but not least... the most gay of them all - I think it is called "yellow malay flower plant"... it is certainly growing beyong well... it is fantastic...