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Dreaming Again

My first attempt at making Bak Kut Teh. Had some leftover pork belly from cooking a fortnight ago and the best idea I could come up with to use it in this dish. Bought the pre-mixed herbs, dried shitake mushrooms, some tofu (the spongy, absorbent kind) and just added everything else to it. One entire bulb of garlic, some soy sauce to season, a tiny bit of leftover chicken stock, steamed rice, and we have a meal.

It tasted pretty decent, although the soup was a little oily from the fat content of the pork belly. 10 minutes of prep, 3 hours of slow cooking, and you have dinner served. Heh, if only all my meals were this simple to prepare.

* * *

These days I have a different perspective on food. Usually it’s one ingredient I have in the fridge or pantry, and trying to buy other ingredients to match it. Bought some squid ink pasta a week ago and decided I wanted to try a seafood pasta with it. Was at the market, and wandered up and down the aisles. Was staring at the marinara mix and a year ago, I probably wouldn’t have hesitated in buying it. Now I do a little more quality control. Preferably fresh meat if possible, although with prawns and certain fish you can only get it frozen. Didn’t like that they sprayed the bushy type of parsley on the marinara mix (Italian flat leaf tastes better, and I prefer to add it last to a dish to preserve the flavours of the herb). I prefer to carve up my own calamari, peel my own prawns, I’d fillet the fish myself as well if my knife was sharp enough (another thing to own, a proper alloy hardened chef’s knife).

* * *

I’m thinking back now to late 2006, when I was thinking of what I’d like to do in the future. Getting a bigger paycheck was on my mind I suppose. Heh, wasn’t really thinking about what job I’d like to be doing, I was just happy learning and doing whatever that was required of me back then.

Now it’s nearing the end of 2008, and just looking for a job. Still trying to find something suitable, although the finance industry is a little tough at the moment, as I keep mentioning. I think I wanted the bigger paycheck back then so I could afford a nice place to stay. I’d still prefer an apartment in the city for the convenience, but would also like to have an empty patch of land to just grow things. The herbs I planted in the last 3 months have had different outcomes, the mint and coriander growing into giant plants. The thyme is growing slowly while the sage seems to be stagnant. I recently discovered that my poor parsley was covered in tiny, green bugs. I wanted to use them but when I harvested them they had this powdery feel. I looked closer and discovered the bugs, and reasoned that as why they haven’t grown more of late as compared to the beginning.

Mom was just telling me about this new puppy my uncle picked up recently. The poor thing was found lying in a drain and my uncle took it home to nurture it back to health. I wonder what it’s like and the only description I got was that it looked like Chewbacca. The pup has been aptly named August, after the month it was found. Heh, would be great to have a pet dog one day.

Dreaming again. I wonder.

Pie Making

I got into the idea of pie making a few months ago and have made several attempts at different things. This above is chicken pie. It is encased in shortcrust pastry, the filling is chicken, leek, carrots, peas and canned button mushrooms. Seasoned with chicken stock, white wine, bay leaves and parsley, plus the usual salt, pepper and sugar.

First time I made it in a gigantic pie dish, and there was too much sauce, making it all runny. This time round there was less sauce, and I think it dried out by the next day. I also made it out in individual pie pans, and previously I had Vyanne to roll out the pastry for me. I wasn’t quite sure how to roll out the dough, so as you can see from the picture, it looked like a cracked mess that is about to fall apart.

I enjoy cooking, although it doesn’t always come intuitively to me. Learn bits and pieces each time I attempt something new.

* * *

Was browsing Luminous Landscape and what an amazing place Iceland is, despite its name. There is the running joke that Iceland is not icy, neither is Greenland green. I am envious of people who can take time to go off the beaten track to see beautiful landscapes. Heh, the closest I can get to such beauty is in the south island of New Zealand. I’d like to try that some time soon in the future.

* * *

The days go by quickly, and I don’t seem to accomplish very much during the day. Need to find a reason to sleep late, and wake up early. Need to have the drive to do things. There are plenty of trivial setbacks from day to day, which I don’t complain about and happily live with, but I should take it to the next level and work my way around these setbacks to get things done.

And it’s off to study I go.

Not Quite Sure

Cousins made sushi for dinner on Saturday. It was tasty, and I couldn’t stop eating. I did eventually, when the food ran out. Have always liked taking pictures of hands at work.

* * *

Another week starts. I’m losing focus. Studying when I can, although that’s hardly worth looking forward to. Getting more professional certification when I’d rather be doing things hands on. The weather is not helping, it’s been cold and I’m bordering on keeping myself from falling sick. Just not operating under ideal conditions, and you make the best of things, but sometimes one just wants to falter and crash out.

I just need to remind myself of what I should be doing. The lack of work is the most nagging issue at the moment. It needs to be rectified soon, and I’ve always been lousy at doing things that rely on others. I can only push through so many job applications a day for things I can work in. You begin to doubt yourself at times, did I try enough in my previous job to get more experience, am I really good enough to be hired? Sometimes I just don’t know.

A friend mentioned that it doesn’t matter if you don’t get successful with an application, it just means that there is a better job waiting for you. Heh, those words were from 2005, when I was still selling fish, getting frustrated and trying to hang on.

I’m just feeling a greater sense of urgency these days. Not quite sure what to do with myself.