Late learner

I like (not love)cooking. I enjoy cooking for the family only cause I'm that not so good cook. Cooking comes late to me. Only now I'm into it, 'cause, I got all the time and I have to. I have reasons why cooking is not in my dictionary. My parents wanted me to concentrate in my studies, attend tuition, finish school work, read books. If I ever entered the kitchen, I would just hang around and observed or I would kacau-kacau emak, like slicing shallots, washed the vege but never did the cooking. Moreover we had helpers. Sometimes, emak would explain and show me how to cook certain dishes. But I will always take things for granted, that emak would be there forever. When I returned from school, there on the table, lunch ready to be eaten. So manja me!
Even when I studied in KL, my aunties would do the cooking and me the eating. No thought of cooking 'cause no reason to cook.
When I was working in KL, I stayed with my sister. Some of her closed friends would bring these two helpless girls their home cooked food . Most of the time, either we ate out with friends, bought tapau from the pasar malam, or had makan at our aunty's place. During weekends if I balik kampung to Melaka, emak would tapau some 'sambal tumis ikan bilis' my sis's fav.
Then came the time I have to cook. So I bought cookery books, majalah masak, cut out recipes from the newspapers, asked (and still asking) my niece,Tootsi ( a great cook), watch program masak on TV and now surfing the net, searching ideas what's cooking. Thanks to ICT.
When I have the mood to cook, Ill go through the magazines for ilham ,berkenan dan tak leceh.... Ill try it out. But only the simple ones mind you. Rempah-rempah itu ini tak main.
What more with encouragement from my other half -sup tulang and sambal belacan, masak asam melaka, goreng lalah, simple man with simple taste, senang rasanya. My dear sis will request daging ayam kicap masak telur pecah kicap macam mak masak, kentang/ tempeh goreng cili, masak tau cu etc, just mention a few). And Bibik pula puji 'Harum baunya masakan Nek Lang' .'Hari ni Alang masak boleh Lang,' asks my niece when she's busy. Oh sure! The great cook asked me to get ready lunch. Masaklah yang budak-budak suka. Trust me. Once, she showed me how to cook sambal tumis ikan bilis which I dare not try all these days cause tak tahu berapa air asam nak letak, takut masam sambal nanti. But now I'm confident making sambal tumis! Thanks dear! Then my grand cucu-cucu , Iman, Amal and Iddin will order cengkodok (cucur bawang) tak mahu bawang or roti jala without curry for tea.
But, alas, sometimes bila tinggal berdua , atau no mood to masak, makan luar aje lah.
Just need interest, effort and encouragement, late learner. Air tangan yours truly, simple dish onlylah....


Daging ayam masak kicap
telur pecah (scrambled egg)



Sambal tumis sardin











Nasi Goreng Cili Padi ( gambar kanan)

Sambal Belacan n ulam petai ( gambar tengah)

Sup Tulang (gambar bawah )