I started this blog to keep a journal for my tried and tested recipes from cooking books to my grandma's best recipes.I also love to keep a journal of the delicious food I ate as I travel and contrary to my chic outlook, most people assumed I don't know how to cook so here's a testimonial of my favourite dishes that I have been cooking over the years...^.^! I remembered as a lil girl from the age of 5, I used to watch my grandma pottering around the kitchen, preparing meals everyday and each meal always keeps the family's tummy warm and happy. She has inspired me to cook at a tender age and here's my story...
In those days, everything was done by hand so I helped out with mincing the pork on a large round and thick wooden chopping board with a large cleaver which my small hands could barely hold. I enjoyed all the diagonal, vertical and horizontal lines I hacked down to make the sliced of pork belly into minced pork for the wantons or steamed pork with egg and tung choy. Besides tearing up while peeling small onions/ shallots for a weekend of chicken curry, I also helped make agar agar/jelly for desserts to pounding all the spices with the pestle in a granite mortar which would make the rhythmic chank chank sound which signaled that day, we would be enjoying a great meal of curry .The smell & sound from the kitchen always remind me about my grandma's cooking with love...
Mum bought me my first set of cooking toy that was made from aluminium so I cooked a spoon of rice in the pot over a candle and the pot ended black as charcoal! The rice tasted just great as grandma's and that was my first journey to the cooking world...
Before you start cooking, you need the proper gear which makes a vast difference in your kitchen. Here's the list of MUST HAVE which will help you make better and tastier meals.
Speed peeler:
My Henckels speed peeler has been with me for almost a decade now and it's wise to invest in a trusted brand for kitchen knives because chances are, at the most crucial time that you are peeling your potatoes or cutting a meat , a lousy blunt knife will make you throw in your apron and storm outta kitchen! Knives:
Tongs:
I use tongs all the time when I do my grilling, frying and for picking up hot food! It gives a better control and also great for serving food as well. Grater:
Invest in a good quality stainless steel grater which will last you a long time because the plastic ones will turn color. Get a a multi functional 4 in ones so you can grate all sorts of things in different textures. Chopping board:
Try to get a bamboo chopping board as they are lightweight and eco friendly or you can invest in an expensive thick wooden one which will age beautifully along with you instead of the trendy high tech plastic ones which create heat and the frictions will blunt your knives in a long run and quickly damage the surface. Pestle and mortar:
It's an ancient kitchen gadget which makes your food taste authentic with all the flavour when you bash and bruise out the loads of ingredients for your cooking. Get a size which suits you which is really user friendly. Food Processor:
My wonderful food processor helps me chop, mix and puree your ingredients, saving me loads of time and makes my cooking more enjoyable and easy! Non stick frying pans:
It's worth investing in good branded non stick pans of different sizes but make sure they are not too heavy ones and remember the surface is like your skin on your face so use wooden spoons! Don't stack them, just hang them up and they will be your best friends in your kitchen for cooking. Pots:
Get at least 2 good quality pots , one medium and one jumbo size which will be useful for stews, soup and cooking for parties! My set of pots was given to me by my mum when I got married umpteen years ago and it's simply useful and durable! Mixing bowls:
You really need to get a few different sizes preferably like my stainless steel ones which lasted me for almost 2 decades now. I used them all the time for mixing, marinating and storing stuff in my fridge and believe me, you can't break it like the porcelain or glass ones. Be wise! Kitchen utensils:
Just get the soup and spaghetti ladle and the skimmer and make sure they are stainless steel ones because it's easier to clean than the plastic ones which oil will cling on to and may get easily burnt when near fire or heat. Last but not least, always bear in mind, everyone CAN COOK and PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT and always complete your cooking laced with love from you heart. Soon you will not only enjoy cooking, you will enjoy all your love ones nurtured in a healthy lifestyle and smiling back at you with never ending praises and throughout the generations, you will always be remembered just like I remembered my beloved grandma with love...~
