thoughts on food during mco
This is a piece on food during MCO.
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Some of my friends have been saying (through their FB statuses) that they've never done this much cooking in their entire life since the Movement Control Order started.
They're spending entire days prepping, cooking, washing and cleaning up after a meal, only to start the process again a few hours later. I can only imagine how exhausting that would be! Sometimes, the effort in cooking a meal is barely worth the results it yields.
Maybe that's why loaves of bread have been sold out - when we just can't be bothered with cooking a meal, plain bread and kaya/jam/sardine/tuna/ham is the easiest form of sustenance.
Cooking is actually quite easy and fun for me. Granted, right now I only cook for two adult eaters without any dietary restrictions/allergies, and I only cook one-dish meals, so it's not been that much of a challenge so far. That said, we only have one induction cooktop and don't have a rice cooker, microwave, slow cooker or air fryer - so what we can do is limited to what can go in a pot or a pan (and one at a time. Haha!).
Our go-to meals at home have mostly been one-dish meals out of my favourite Tefal pan (and a selection of non-stick pots - a great wedding gift from Jon's ex-boss):
- Aglio olio (garlic, onion, capsicum, bacon, cili padi)
- Pan-fried cheese sandwich (capsicum, egg, bacon, cheese on buttered toasts)
- Fried mihun (rice vermicelli, garlic onion cili trifecta, a leafy veg/carrot/mushrooms, tofu, egg, Adabi fried mihun seasoning)
- Mihun soup (same as above)
The actual ingredients for each meal vary according to what's in the fridge. I now realize that recipes can be followed with a pinch of salt. Let's take the fried rice vermicelli recipe - I actually got that from the instructions on the back of the Adabi seasoning packet. After you read a few similar recipes, you sort of figure out what are the main ingredients in the meal (carb, protein, greens) and the sequence to cook each item. For example - the protein needs to be well-cooked so that takes a longer time, so you can also throw in any hardier vegetables (like carrot chunks) to cook together. Then, just when you're ready to serve, add water to the seasoning mix and add the mihun in to soak up the flavours. Simmer for a while to let everything mix. This method applies to pasta, too and I've seen it validated in some cooking videos.
Other stuff I learnt during this MCO season regarding food:
1. Seasoning packs (like Adabi, Babas, etc) are lifesavers. Meals are so easy and flavourful with these and they're like RM1-2 per pack! So cost efficient.
2. I've listed what I want in a home herb garden. The basics for any Asian household, I feel, are:
- Limau kasturi (calamansi lime)
- Pandan (screwpine)
- Curry leaves
- Chili plant
- Serai (lemongrass)
- Spring onion
Those are all my thoughts regarding food and MCO. I actually wanted to end it with the list, but I know what my English teachers would say - your essay is not complete without a closing. So I'll end by saying that I hope my eating habits have been good and I hope yours has been too. And even though no one (literally, no one) comments on blogs anymore - do share with me your go-to recipes for simple and tasty meals at home.
Happy MCO all, and let's stay safe at home.
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Some of my friends have been saying (through their FB statuses) that they've never done this much cooking in their entire life since the Movement Control Order started.
They're spending entire days prepping, cooking, washing and cleaning up after a meal, only to start the process again a few hours later. I can only imagine how exhausting that would be! Sometimes, the effort in cooking a meal is barely worth the results it yields.
Maybe that's why loaves of bread have been sold out - when we just can't be bothered with cooking a meal, plain bread and kaya/jam/sardine/tuna/ham is the easiest form of sustenance.
Cooking is actually quite easy and fun for me. Granted, right now I only cook for two adult eaters without any dietary restrictions/allergies, and I only cook one-dish meals, so it's not been that much of a challenge so far. That said, we only have one induction cooktop and don't have a rice cooker, microwave, slow cooker or air fryer - so what we can do is limited to what can go in a pot or a pan (and one at a time. Haha!).
Our go-to meals at home have mostly been one-dish meals out of my favourite Tefal pan (and a selection of non-stick pots - a great wedding gift from Jon's ex-boss):
- Aglio olio (garlic, onion, capsicum, bacon, cili padi)
- Pan-fried cheese sandwich (capsicum, egg, bacon, cheese on buttered toasts)
- Fried mihun (rice vermicelli, garlic onion cili trifecta, a leafy veg/carrot/mushrooms, tofu, egg, Adabi fried mihun seasoning)
- Mihun soup (same as above)
The actual ingredients for each meal vary according to what's in the fridge. I now realize that recipes can be followed with a pinch of salt. Let's take the fried rice vermicelli recipe - I actually got that from the instructions on the back of the Adabi seasoning packet. After you read a few similar recipes, you sort of figure out what are the main ingredients in the meal (carb, protein, greens) and the sequence to cook each item. For example - the protein needs to be well-cooked so that takes a longer time, so you can also throw in any hardier vegetables (like carrot chunks) to cook together. Then, just when you're ready to serve, add water to the seasoning mix and add the mihun in to soak up the flavours. Simmer for a while to let everything mix. This method applies to pasta, too and I've seen it validated in some cooking videos.
Other stuff I learnt during this MCO season regarding food:
1. Seasoning packs (like Adabi, Babas, etc) are lifesavers. Meals are so easy and flavourful with these and they're like RM1-2 per pack! So cost efficient.
2. I've listed what I want in a home herb garden. The basics for any Asian household, I feel, are:
- Limau kasturi (calamansi lime)
- Pandan (screwpine)
- Curry leaves
- Chili plant
- Serai (lemongrass)
- Spring onion
Those are all my thoughts regarding food and MCO. I actually wanted to end it with the list, but I know what my English teachers would say - your essay is not complete without a closing. So I'll end by saying that I hope my eating habits have been good and I hope yours has been too. And even though no one (literally, no one) comments on blogs anymore - do share with me your go-to recipes for simple and tasty meals at home.
Happy MCO all, and let's stay safe at home.
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