One of the things few people know about me, is that aside from enjoying meals, I also find great pleasure in making them. Cooking, I believe, is what makes a dining experience that much more special. Today, since there was an abundance of raw ingredients at home, I decided to whip up a Shepherd’s Pie.
It’s not that hard to make, and I figured anyone with some basic common sense around the kitchen can handle this easily enough.
Running errands isn’t so bad actually, for me at least. Most of the time, my set of ‘errands’ include paying bills, a trip to the bank and maybe drop a package at a courier office. All these tasks can be done in a town that’s conveniently 10 minutes drive from home, a place I call Cheras Town.
Well, actually it’s called Taman Segar, and it’s where Cheras Leisure Mall is located - but I prefer the sound of Cheras Town, gives it a ‘quaint little town feeling’, because that’s what the place really is like.
As always, today, I parked my car at an open area shaded by trees, and made my way to my first stop, the Celcom Service Centre. It was a pretty hot day. Fortunately, with cool winds regularly blowing in and my path covered in the shade of tall, leafy trees, the walk wasn’t really all that unpleasant.
I paced my steps lightly while I listen to Maaya Sakamoto’s songs funneled into my ears, sending a flock of pigeons scampering away as I trod along in ignorant bliss. I was about to turn into a corner when my nose caught the sweet scent of ghee. Almost by instinct, my body turned on its heels, and before I knew it I stood before a couple selling fresh, crispy apam balik.
I went a little bit overboard and splurged on a dinner at Sushi King the other day, so until my cheque deposit is cleared next week, I’ll be practically broke this weekend. The rest of the family have either gone outstation or back to my hometown, leaving me to care for the house by myself again.
Not that I mind, but it’s just I’d have to find ways to feed myself for the next few days. Fortunately, I’m pretty good at cooking [for my own taste, at least] and the house is pretty much stocked with raw stuff - culinary playthings for a pair of idle hands.
So I gathered whatever I could find, and fixed myself something pretty fancy tonight. Here’s what I had for dinner.
Recipe after the jump.
One of the cool things about being guys in our 20’s is the fact we don’t have to worry too much when it comes to food. Most of the time we eat out with friends, and if money’s tight, we could easily settle for something we could quickly revv up from the kitchen. The coolest thing about it is that we can be extremely terrible with a wok and spatula yet we can still get away with decent-looking dishes that can be done in less than 10 minutes, taste great and still have a great time.
However, just because you’re a bachelor with a thin wallet doesn’t mean you should make any excuse to remain a lousy cook and come out with lousier food. I’ve been messing around with cooking and eating since I was in primary school [I'm sure you can see me parading around the evidence *rubs belly*] and I’d like to share with you single-track-minded buffoons some easy tips when you decide to start cooking. So, leave the instant noodles in their shelves and the 3-minute pizza in freezer, and get it on with the real deal.
Leave the methodical, uncreative, guaranteed-delicious cooking to our mothers, sisters and girlfriends [cough]. Guys, let’s just cook stuff, shall we?
1. Onions have lots of healthy natural sugar, so chop and sautée them beforehand to add some sweetness to your fried rice/noodles. An even easier method is to mince 3-4 onions in a blender into an onion paste and keep them in the fridge. That way you can easily scoop about a few tablespoons and quickly sautée them whenever you need some.
2. Ginger and garlic adds some zing and an irresistible aroma. Minced ginger is a must-have for barbecue/roast marinades and crushed garlic makes a great combo when sautéed with onions.
3. Black pepper has strong aroma but subtle taste, white pepper are much hotter but don’t smell as strong. Avoid powdered peppers, they have rice flour mixed in so you’ll be losing on the 100% pepper goodness. Buy grains of peppercorns and crush them into powder yourself.
4. Pandan leaves are fragrant and adds great flavour to many things. Toss some into your rice before cooking them, or let them soak inside your ice-cold jug rose syrup.
