Letters from the Equator

I learnt today that chicken should not be put back into the freezer after it has thawed, and that the meat contains moisture so that if you put it into broths or soups, the water content increases.

It’s indirectly related to the tau eu kay I made today, which is very Nonya, like my background (yeah, I have peranakan roots from my dad). I adapted from these two recipes, and I realized I put too much water, so the chicken didn’t come out all goo-ey like in the pictures. Instead I was left with a soupy sauce, which tasted super herby from the chinese 5-spice powder.

Note to self: Next time, put less water, or cook the chicken and simmer first before putting water.

I want to buy so many things but I am holding back because we’ve been blowing our eat-out budget again and again (even after LL increased it). So in an effort to cook more often, I went out and bought dried noodles that will keep for centuries, so that I don’t have to worry about food turning stale so fast. I only have two hands and I can’t buy a lot of food and carry them back, so I have to make several trips in a week.

Anyway, my wife says my cooking is improving. She asked for more rice today, which is a first. I have never seen her ask for rice before. Maybe she likes water-y tau eu kay. All the ones I’ve had are NOT water-y. She said the smell is accurate and the taste is accurate – just not thick like they usually do. I also think I put too much 5-spice powder.

The next dish I want to make is bolognese sauce for pasta. Just because Iceland was selling 8 tomatoes for £1 and I need to eat tomatoes before they go bad. I also have ground beef which I need to consume. And I have tons of medium-sized onions left.

I have a problem in that I can only decide what my stomach wants to eat. So, I have no menu for the week, and I cook whatever’s in my pantry, or starve – because my stomach rules over my head. If it doesn’t want to eat something, it goes without it fine.

Of course, this is not fine. I need some way to set up some kind of structure so that I can go and buy food and cook it and have less wastage, because it stinks up the refridgerator (which is extremely small) and fungus feels absolutely yucky.

So what I’m doing is browsing recipes and keeping track of things I want to try. I take note of all the consumables and other stuff that I should store up in my pantry (flour, spices, herbs). So far, that’s been good. The 5-spice powder came about because I was reading another recipe from somewhere that needed it, so that’s why I bought it, although I never got around to cooking that dish. So I was happy that the tau eu kay recipe asked for it.

If any of you cook chinese/local meals – please teach me your stuff!

I haven’t yet made any

• curries
• fish dishes
• desserts (sago and gula melaka?)
• dim sum

So if you’ve got simple, great recipes for those – please drop a comment here.