KITCHEN GODDESS
It’s Monday again. Back to work and the usual running around. Mr. husband is still recovering from his fever. His body balance is all screwed up according to him. Both his nose and ears are blocked. He was still in la-la land when I left for work this morning. My poor baby…
Married life is great. Our crib is still a work in progress. The fact that management disallows renovation work to be done on weekend is a bit @#$%*d up since it means we have to juggle our working hours to get things done on weekdays. It’s inevitable that one of us (most probably moi) would’ve to take some days off of work to ensure the completion of our little project. My kitchen, my temple is still an imaginary space in my head but not for long, I hope.
I’m one of those people who truly believe that at the heart of each home…is the kitchen. And as my friends and husband know it, I utilize my kitchen. I love cooking. It’s a habit I inherit from dearest mak. Growing up, I remember it was almost compulsory for me to be in the kitchen if mak was there. The only time my lack of presence in the kitchen was excused and she would not scream my name in full (she only did that when she’s angry!) was if she knew I was doing my schoolwork.
Those time spent in the kitchen was priceless. I observed the process, the flow, the system that she’s created within her small kingdom. Mak is BIG on having everything home made, I mean almost everything; we ground our own chilli paste, fried and ground the coconut to make kerisek for our rendang, opor daging and pajeri nenas, fermented durian to perfection for our supply of tempoyak. And for all the glorious kuih-muih, artificial favouring was a no-no. It means having abundance of pandan leaves (which is the main flavouring and colouring agent for most of kuih-muih Melayu) planted in our backyard. Another important ingredient in her cooking is gula kabung. She usually gets her supply from one of our relatives in Terengganu. She said low quality gula Melaka, usually made from the sap of nipah or coconut, has the burnt taste and the sweetness is very sharp, unlike gula kabung. I have to say, until today, I only use gula kabung and nothing else. I usually replenish my supply by pinching mak’s :D
Mak seldom cooked western food. The fact that Abah was one big fan of rice didn’t help the matter either. Most of my rendezvous with western food came much later in life. I found a strong liking for Italian and Mediterranean food in general. The food is zesty and bursting with flavours. I remember the little Italian café off Regent Street in London that served heavenly home made tomato soup. “Italian style”, said the owner. His margarita pizza was one of the best I’ve ever tasted.
Apart from the usual lunch and dinner, tea time was the most exciting. I would wait anxiously for mak to take out the ingredients from her gerobok after lunch; it’s an indication of what’s in store for tea. I love bubur and pengat and mak made all sorts; bubur jagung, bubur pulut hitam, bubur kacang, pengat pisang, pengat nangka, pisang sira. And how can I ever forget the gooey sago served with her custard-santan sauce and lompat tikam? Another is her signature sekaya keledek. During fasting month, desserts like puteri mandi, tepung bunga, asam gumpal would make their appearances in mak’s kitchen.
Unfortunately, most of the kuihs are hard to find these days. It got me thinking; maybe I should start compiling all the recipes from mak. I hope to serve my family and perhaps impart the recipes to my own kids, Insyaallah. I remember the joy I got by the sheer aroma of mak’s cooking reaching my nostrils and teasing my senses and the excitement in everyone’s face when we’re all seated at the dining table waiting to savour the delicious kuih. Will I be able to do the same to my family? Will my kids love my cooking as much as I love mak’s? In mak’s eyes, I am nothing but a novice when it comes to culinary skills. I can never match her standard and I am resigned to that fact. I think even if I am the master chef of the world, when we’re in the kitchen together, Mak still rules. I don’t mind it one bit. She can rule for as long as she wants to.
Yes, the tiramisu at “The Mango Tree” is delicious and the cakes and pies at Delicious, Marmalade and Alexis are just so delectable. But asam gumpal, tepung bunga and the like still reign supreme on my taste bud list. Nak buat macam mana? Budak kampong…
Married life is great. Our crib is still a work in progress. The fact that management disallows renovation work to be done on weekend is a bit @#$%*d up since it means we have to juggle our working hours to get things done on weekdays. It’s inevitable that one of us (most probably moi) would’ve to take some days off of work to ensure the completion of our little project. My kitchen, my temple is still an imaginary space in my head but not for long, I hope.
I’m one of those people who truly believe that at the heart of each home…is the kitchen. And as my friends and husband know it, I utilize my kitchen. I love cooking. It’s a habit I inherit from dearest mak. Growing up, I remember it was almost compulsory for me to be in the kitchen if mak was there. The only time my lack of presence in the kitchen was excused and she would not scream my name in full (she only did that when she’s angry!) was if she knew I was doing my schoolwork.
Those time spent in the kitchen was priceless. I observed the process, the flow, the system that she’s created within her small kingdom. Mak is BIG on having everything home made, I mean almost everything; we ground our own chilli paste, fried and ground the coconut to make kerisek for our rendang, opor daging and pajeri nenas, fermented durian to perfection for our supply of tempoyak. And for all the glorious kuih-muih, artificial favouring was a no-no. It means having abundance of pandan leaves (which is the main flavouring and colouring agent for most of kuih-muih Melayu) planted in our backyard. Another important ingredient in her cooking is gula kabung. She usually gets her supply from one of our relatives in Terengganu. She said low quality gula Melaka, usually made from the sap of nipah or coconut, has the burnt taste and the sweetness is very sharp, unlike gula kabung. I have to say, until today, I only use gula kabung and nothing else. I usually replenish my supply by pinching mak’s :D
Mak seldom cooked western food. The fact that Abah was one big fan of rice didn’t help the matter either. Most of my rendezvous with western food came much later in life. I found a strong liking for Italian and Mediterranean food in general. The food is zesty and bursting with flavours. I remember the little Italian café off Regent Street in London that served heavenly home made tomato soup. “Italian style”, said the owner. His margarita pizza was one of the best I’ve ever tasted.
Apart from the usual lunch and dinner, tea time was the most exciting. I would wait anxiously for mak to take out the ingredients from her gerobok after lunch; it’s an indication of what’s in store for tea. I love bubur and pengat and mak made all sorts; bubur jagung, bubur pulut hitam, bubur kacang, pengat pisang, pengat nangka, pisang sira. And how can I ever forget the gooey sago served with her custard-santan sauce and lompat tikam? Another is her signature sekaya keledek. During fasting month, desserts like puteri mandi, tepung bunga, asam gumpal would make their appearances in mak’s kitchen.
Unfortunately, most of the kuihs are hard to find these days. It got me thinking; maybe I should start compiling all the recipes from mak. I hope to serve my family and perhaps impart the recipes to my own kids, Insyaallah. I remember the joy I got by the sheer aroma of mak’s cooking reaching my nostrils and teasing my senses and the excitement in everyone’s face when we’re all seated at the dining table waiting to savour the delicious kuih. Will I be able to do the same to my family? Will my kids love my cooking as much as I love mak’s? In mak’s eyes, I am nothing but a novice when it comes to culinary skills. I can never match her standard and I am resigned to that fact. I think even if I am the master chef of the world, when we’re in the kitchen together, Mak still rules. I don’t mind it one bit. She can rule for as long as she wants to.
Yes, the tiramisu at “The Mango Tree” is delicious and the cakes and pies at Delicious, Marmalade and Alexis are just so delectable. But asam gumpal, tepung bunga and the like still reign supreme on my taste bud list. Nak buat macam mana? Budak kampong…
posted by Ms O at 5:16 pm
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