Bless for not having to teach this semester, I now have quite an ample time to think more about my research projects and writing up for journal papers. Last semester is a bit of a shock. Not only I have to teach (which I'm happy to do it anyway), but to be taking the role of the Chairman of the design exhibition/competition which involve the whole campus community. It's a large task, leaving me quite restless throughout the 3-months period and not having time to even looking after the proper diet.
Now that the time is all mine - though I'm still the Chairman (plus the Secretary of conference & event manager of symposium!) - I manage to find time to do what I used to do: cook. Yup, cooking though I loathe this activity once and for all. Just like doing laundry. Nevertheless, there's a charm in cooking since it's quite therapeutic at the same time. All these months, my kitchen is located across the road - the mamak cafe, to be exact. But last weekend I finally fired up those stove which has been collecting dust for quite some time. What did I cook? Just a simple chicken curry.
Can I really cook? Sort of. I learned how to skin the fish and the chicken at the age of 11. At 13, I learned how to make the fried stuff - koay teow goreng, nasi goreng, bihun goreng - since my dad had a restaurant in front of the house and my mum taught me how. Busy family, so I have to take care of myself. A couple of years back, I successfully make the cream caramel pudding - a dessert which I can't live without. And living in London in the recent years forced me to cook almost every day since the price of prepared halal food is quite high (and very far to get). So, the best resort - cook own meal with the cheap raw material that I can get at Tesco.
I know I'm always a big fan of cooking though I hate the time spent to prepare stuff. In fact I love collecting cookbook, which I planted a dream that I'm gonna try all those recipes in those glossy pages. Yeah, one day. Ha!
In UK, there's a lot of cooking shows like Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmare and F Word, Jamie Oliver's Naked Chef and his other famous cooking shows, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage, Ainsley Harriott's Ready Steady Cook, Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express, James Martin's Saturday Kitchen etc... etc... so many to name. Not just from the celebrity cooks, but the usual marhain like you and me such as the Come Dine With Me. I love to watch 'em all. That's why UK TV is so educative, fun and entertaining (that doesn't include after 9 pm shows at Channel 4, ahaks!)
As much as I love to cook, I yet to learn how to bake. My sister is a great cook coz she can make almost everything. (ayat kipas tu...). From cakes, to pizza to whatever - she made it her own and even posted the recipes in her own blog. Brilliant. And last time when she visited my house, I asked her to make the cupcakes, since I've been missing the Hummingbird cupcakes back in London. And it appears to be tiny cupcakes like these... one ngap then it's gone!
What is funny about the cupcakes: the check-patterned paper cup really looks like my Topman shirt. Yellow and black!
Anyway, cooking: what should I cook for dinner tonite? :)
Shirt - Topman, studded glove - Zara, chrono watch - Sekonda
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