Wednesday, December 06, 2006

So, do you like... stuff?

I'll be 23 in about an hour. I guess it's not a big deal. I've been accidentally answering "23" to "How old are you" questions for a couple months now anyway. It's an unconscious thing, don't ask me why...

Someone hinted (in a not so subtle way) that they'd like to know what stuff I like. I pondered, and pondered, wondering what "stuff" would make me happy. I'm not a material person (I only have one *gasp* multi-function handbag and I'm proud of it).

But as I was cooking the same old mixed-vegetable stirfry in my wok this evening (chop and toss!) it came to me...

I need new material. It's all about the "Teach a man to fish" mentality. Really, I want to move past the can-opener and electric water kettle. But all those recipe books are just so overwhelming. Hundreds and thousands of pages of "Easy-make" this and "Under 15 minutes" that... HOW DO I CHOOSE? The answer: I don't, and hide in the corner while my frozen lasagna heats in the microwave.

My egoistic birthday wish would be for my friends to share with me their one (and only one) favouritest home-cooked recipe.

Somehow "Tim's Mom's Black-Noodle-Thing" or "Bishnu's tupperware curry(!)" has more appeal than anything Betty Crocker ever made. Instead of "what will I make today", it'd become "who shall I eat today"? Neat! (no dirty jokes, guys)..

In conclusion, free things are often the best.

PS. Birthdays surrounded by exams suck!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Angelica!

My gift to you is my Grandmother's special chicken soup. This is the best thing on a rainy/cold day and if you are feeling sick (also helps fight a cold) This soup tastes great, is very easy to make, has immune boosting ingredients and best of all it has been passed down through 3 generations!

Ingedients:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 8-10 medium sized potatoes (halved)
- 3-4 Carrots (peeled and cut in half)
- 1 onion, chopped into 8ths
- 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tspn of garlic paste
- 1 tspn of ginger paste
- 2 tspn of turmeric (this is the main flavour and is also an immune system booster)
- 1/2 - 1 tspn of chili powder (optional, but adds some zing)
- 2-3 cloves
- 2 cardamom pods

Step1: Take a large pot, and fill it with enough water to cover the estimated level of the chicken, potatoes and carrots.

Step2: Bring water to a boil then add the potatoes, carrots, onions and chicken breasts into the pot.

Step3: Add turmeric, chili powder, cardamom pods, cloves, chopped garlic, garlic & ginger pastes.

Step4: Cover and let boil for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is soft and falls apart easily. Serve.


Feel free to substitute in other veggies. I sometimes make it with broccoli (add this in about 2-3 minutes before done) and it tastes great.

My own little variation is that i like to make rice on the side, and when i serve it, i add a little rice to my own bowl. Yum!

Once again, happy birthday Angelica! Enjoy.

Simon said...

Happy Birthday!

Don't forget to take time to celebrate and enjoy your day despite the horrible exams :p

Unknown said...

Thanks Omar!! Oh I'm so happy that I'll finally know how to use those spices I keep hearing about! :) I'll certainly need this one because I get sick a lot too ^^ lol thanks again

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Angelica!!! (Wow your b-day is the same as my dad's...)

Hmm, unfortunately I am too attached to can opener and water kettle as well so i dun have a recipe for you... :"(