First timers

I am extremely pleased with myself. I tried cooking the above dishes for the very first time or the first time in using a different method.

For dinner with plain rice and dishes, the usual way we had our eggs done were usually fried, and sprinkled with dark soya sauce and pepper. So I tried a different variation. I tried to create a sweet and sour sauce - by mixing ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and water. I sliced onions, and cut cherry tomatoes into halves. After frying the eggs, I stir fried the onions and tomatoes and then added the mixed sauce to be cooked. When boiled, the hot sauce was poured onto the fried eggs. The Sweet N Sour Eggs was ready, and the sauce was very nice and appetising!

I had tried meat wrapped in fried lotus roots in Old Hong Kong restaurant before, and I liked it. So thought I had try cooking it myself. I marinated minced pork and fried them with chopped onions then sieved them up. I got ready the mix consisting of beaten egg, water, salt, and flour. I failed to get the minced pork to be sandwiched between 2 slices of lotus root even after dipping into the mix. So I changed method. I fried the lotus roots individually and when they were about to turn golden brown, I added the half-cooked minced pork and stir fry them together for a minute. So my Porky Crunchy Lotus Root was born. I am going to try this dish again and also to make lotus root chips as well.

I love asparagus and young corn alot as they were crunchy. At home, mom seldom cooked these. I boiled both the sliced asparagus and young corn and sieved them up. Next I prepared the sauce mix - oyster sauce, water, salt, sugar, and cornflour. I stir-fried slices of bacon and minced pork and chopped garlic till fragrant and added in the sauce. When the hot sauce was ready, it was added onto the asparagus and young corn. The feedback was very good, the crunchy veggies with the fragrant sauce and bacon was really special.

Lastly I actually cooked Sayur Lodeh, mixed vegetables in sweet curry sauce. I was searching for some veggies in the fridge, and there were none. Only a few strands of long beans, one carrot and some cabbage leaves were found. So decided to cook Sayur Lodeh! Ok, I had the ready premix sauce so it was a breeze. For added oomph, I chopped some onions and coconut milk and sambal chilli. The curry sauce was so milky sweet and sinful.

I am glad the dishes turned out to be highly delectable, although it was the first time I cooked them or the first time I improvised them. I like to cook but not bake. I feel cooking can relieve stress. It gives an excitement of creating different variations and the anticipation of how the food would taste like in the end. The good thing about cooking myself was I tend to eat less because I would be tired out after cooking while the others would eat more. I also like moving my hand in a stir-frying motion of the wok ladle in the pan. It just feel so kick-ass good.