Steam from the Top

Lately I have been less into blogging for some reasons or the other that makes me somewhat into a wandering state. My mind moves so much faster than my own pace which most often makes it difficult for me to sleep most nights. Lots of thoughts are coming and going. At one time I want to write a story, then at another I want to start a new blog on cooking and some other random musings. But there are so many thoughts that I have become a little uncomfortable. I need to organize them. After much of contemplation, finally I have decided on making a notebook and jotting down all my thoughts, and maybe I will have to start my next chapter that is related to food. First thing I need is to start cooking for friends and make lovely food shots for the recipe collection. Cooking has been a passion since young when I watched my mom busy preparing food from the kitchen.

I often love to cook a spread and entertain friends to my home. Since arriving in China, I do not have the luxury of inviting friends over to wine and dine due to the limited space in my studio apartment. The absence of my favorites that were left behind; mainly the cutleries and dining set that makes me proud when I display them with envy. The plates, the bowls and everything on the dining table are specially selected with the food served. Even the napkin, the tablecloth and the wine glass have to match with the food theme. That shows how meticulous and painstaking to prepare for my guests which I usually enjoy. Cooking is my passion and I love to entertain. I often divert my work stress towards preparing the food. Planning the menu usually makes me run wild since I have loads and loads of my favourite recipes that I can showcase. Maybe, one day my friends will ask me to cater for their private dining parties. One of my wishful dreams and just like anyone’s wish of marrying a Prince, mine is to cook and cater for private dining at home.

The highest climax one can steam

Possibilities or even a dream, why not. Probably then I will be able to reach a sense of stability and knowing that I love what I am doing. The pleasure of eating and the passion to cook is one of my favourite things. I am eager to return home and enjoy the art of cooking; to slap the dough around, massage the chicken with spices, grill the vegetables with a drizzle of virgin olive oil, and roast the garlic and set the oven temperature on high. I love to think how delicious egg plants or tomatoes are pan fried with duck fat; pure, unadulterated fat that gives it the real flavour.

Julia Child described the signs of doneness in a roast chicken as “a sudden rain of splatters in the oven, a swelling of the breast, and a light puff of the skin, and the drumstick is tender when pressed and can be moved in its socket”.

Well just as it is, my 6-inch iron will not fit the whole roast. I prefer the breast or the leg whichever that suits my taste of the day. Thrusting the bird with the 6-inch is not what Jamie Oliver of the Naked Chef will use for his roast. The shallow iron skillet is one that is handy for an all-in-one dinner dish. Start with quick searing to lock the taste and let it rest in the bed of greens before it is left to grill in the oven. I prefer cooking for many like a wishful list of orgies that one can’t imagine the numbers but to some, they prefer the simple pleasures of cooking for one. The kitchen can be a lonely place without stimulation and knowing that I am preparing a food orgy for my guests make the difference which is more pleasurable than the highest climax one can steam from the top. And to write about such pleasures with joy which is one of my talents of evocative writing, then flaunt with experiences and spice it with other flavours.