A Love Affair

The idea of having this blog is actually to feature my culinary skill and the food that I would like to present as 'my dinner tonight'. Having said that, it just occurred to me, (how strange now, when come to think of it), I was once, the laziest girl to be seen in the kitchen! I'd find excuses  to escape  helping out  for every meal . I  always thought that cooking was never my forte. Couldn't blame myself...as a little girl and through my teenage days, I was not an 'eater'! I hated many food. I was very picky about almost everything there was on my plate. As a result, I grew up to be a skinny girl ... Heheh, but not anymore! Now that I eat like there's no tomorrow.

My love affair with cooking came about when I was sixteen or so. Even though I hated the kitchen, I still loved watching my mother in action, deftly cooking for her big family. I knew what went into this pot of curry and into the next. There were no measurements needed and I could tell they were all delicious dishes one could ask for!

Well, fast forward, I found myself itching to start my own experimental kitchen. I was by then, quite good a cook from very simple dishes to the elaborate ones.  My mission then, was to start baking. In retrospect, I couldn't help but remember the time when my two elder sisters and I chanced upon an old recipe book belonged to our mother, well, during her hey-days. The best recipe was definitely my mum's "kek Nanas". Hehe...note the spelling! So, armed with the book, my sisters planned to bake one. I was only allowed to watch... they were mean! Heheh!  Kak Lina, was the one responsible for converting all measurements into metric system. Some sensible instruction was re-constructed... hehe...what with a 'senduk' of this, 'buang balik 2 sudu besar' of that.... to our amusement! But the best part would be, the whole book was written in 'jawi'...and we had a ball of time reading it the Pendekar Bujang Lapok's style!! "....hmmm....al kurma kuk...al bulan puasa tukk..tompok tompok taik unta!...al kisah...taibb..sultan firaun...taibb..mane firaun pakai sultan, bodoh!!!" ... It sure was hilarious! Anyway, the kek nenas turned out very good. Soon it became my late sister, kak nyah's, trademark and most sought after at her many parties. I somehow lost the recipe and kak Lina's version is not quite to my liking!

My real baking test came a month after I became the blushing bride. Immediately after office, I got home lugging the ingredients and utensils for baking. Not to mention cookbooks that I could get hold of, be it straight from the bookstore or placing my orders through Reader's Digest. I was over-zealous. But my attempt on a chocolate cake turned out disastrously unleavened! My other half made fun out of it by naming it the 'I Dream of Genie' cake. Don't ask me why.. Slighted by his remarks, I turned to play the "not tonight honey,...I have got a headache" game, for a newly-wed, at that! Goodness! (Blush, blush! hiks!)

I can now say and am proud to say that my ever moist chocolate cakes, carrot cakes and sinfully rich fruit cakes had all landed on the bigwig banquet tables..hiks again!

Isn't cooking my forte? Go figure!