so today i'm going to blog about my love for (making my own) food.
i'm sorry but i can never understand when someone tells me, "i don't really care about the taste of food - i only eat to fill my stomach and keep me going". or when they tell me, "i can never tell if food lacks salt - how can you tell?". how can you not? surely taste buds were developed to, well, taste.
coming from a family that takes food and drink seriously in our everyday lives (there is no such thing as skipping meals or having cereal for dinner in the tan family household, except maybe when one is ill) and having a mother who showers her children with love by never failing to come up with fabulous weekend meals for us, i've been exposed to the glory of food since a very young age. and with that, i've cultured the ability to tell what's in the food that i eat - right down to the tiniest herb and spice.
however, even though i've been independent and away from home for about 7 years now, i've only really started enjoying to cook and bake when i came over to the UK. i think a lot of factors play a part in this recent avocation. when i was in malaysia i very much preferred going out and sampling all sorts of food rather than to actually make my own (i still did some cooking back then, but very minimally). secondly, being a student in the UK doesn't really allow one to spend extravagantly on eating out. don't get me wrong, i think i still spend more money on eating out than some people do, but not without compromising on other indulgences. i've also been into cooking shows and buying lots of cookbooks (admittedly, i do the latter mainly for decorating my room - nothing screams comfort and home more than stacks of cookbooks lying against the window next to a vase of daisies), and from there i've identified certain famous cooks/chefs/food journalists to inspire me to whip something up in the kitchen. being in the UK also means that a lot of ingredients are more readily available than in malaysia. i don't mean ingredients for chinese/malaysian/asian foods (though they can be obtained from oriental supermarkets), but in malaysia if you want something simple like polenta or even ready-made cranberry sauce, you'll have to go to a specialty bake shop!
i've been uploading photos of my cooking trials on facebook over the past year (trust me, a lot of them actually look better than they taste, hahaha) and i've had a lot of people ask me how i find the time amidst my busy schedule as a medical student to cook/bake. the truth is i don't make foods that require a whole day's worth of effort. most of the time i only cook for 2 people - myself and my biggest supporter TR (who has gained a bit of weight since coming here thanks to me, at least that's what i think) and that really doesn't take up a lot of my time. besides, i find cooking/baking incredibly therapeutic that i won't even give it up come exam time. having proper meals is of utmost importance to me and i am a strong advocate against frozen or ready-made meals, although i must say i have found myself occasionally resorting to those whenever there were time constraints.
i know that a lot of people actually find cooking an intimidating task, but i believe that if you know how to eat and have a decent taste for food, you will know how to cook. sure there are certain cooking techniques which have to be taught. in fact i am still slowly picking them up from aforementioned cookshows, cookbooks, my mum, and my friend ben. i still consider myself a beginner bordering on an amateur *ahhem* but i am glad to say that my repertoire is expanding. i make mainly western food (which, to me, is the easiest), simple chinese food (i personally feel that the hardest cuisine to master is chinese - you can argue if you like, but nobody beats a top chinese chef), a bit of korean and japanese, and very simple indian food.
i firmly believe that knowing how to cook is essential and i totally recommend that you try it!
ps: i think i may turn this into a pseudo-food blog, so do expect more upcoming posts on food!
a quick preview:
baked blueberry cheesecake,
rachel allen's recipe.
