A familiar taste that never goes wrong
It’s funny to me that I can only cook when I’m living alone. Because if I come back home, I just eat whatever my mother is cooking and don’t have the desire to cook by myself. There are probably many factors, but one of them is because I feel like result won’t turn out good, so I don’t want my family try it😁 Honestly, in my silent days, I kinda miss the part of me who is willing to put some effort into cooking my own food.
So, here are some recurring dishes that I somehow always make again and again:
1. Stir-fried / sauté glass noodles
For this menu, it depends on what ingredients I have on hand. Since the main ingredient is glass noodles, I often adjusted the seasoning as I wanted it to be. When I feel like putting in a bit more effort, I’ll crush garlic and shallots and grind them (by hand) until it becomes like a paste consistency. Then I’ll add chillies and spices (usually salt and pepper, but sometimes I use pre-made seasoning instead).
If I have carrots, I’ll boil them first with the glass noodles. Then, as the name suggests, I just sauté all the ingredients. I put the “paste” on the teflon first, then I add the glass noodles and vegetables as preferences (I personally often use carrots, cabbage, and spring onions). Saute and you’re done haha. On days when I’m even too lazy to do those steps, I’m just using a sachet of soy sauce, garlic, and seasonings.
It’s pretty convenient and affordable, not to mention that the glass noodles are quite filling too! And as you can see below, I add some lettuce and fried eggplants–basically whatever I have on hand at the moment. Even if I don’t have any vegetables, I’ll pair it with an egg instead. Super simple!
2. A humble toast
Toast is something that can be filled with anything you like. For me somehow, I always add a fried egg, lettuce, hot sauce, and that’s it. If only I’m not forget to buy it, I’ll add a slice of cheese and a bit of mayonnaise to make it more delicious. But even if I don’t have anything, a slice of toasted bread with some butter spread is good enough, right? I mean, you can never go wrong with toast no matter what you choose to do with it😁
But for some reason, avocado toast isn’t my go-to, because I’m not particularly obsessed with avocado itself. But people seem to like it so much, even making it almost everyday. I can’t even remember if I’ve ever made one myself, so maybe I should try😅 What about you, what kind of fillings you almost always have on your toast?
[That's the middle photo, it is fried sweet potatoes and fried eggplants. Not really a “healthy snack” as I claimed it lol but perhaps it's better than buying a random street food fried in leftover oil, you know]
3. Slap-together soup🤣
Literally, slap together. Also, from where I live, we have a soup called “soup”. So it’s a soup soup😂 [what the?!🤣] Anyway, that soup is a clear broth dish with various vegetables cooked together, often with other ingredients like chicken, beef, or meatballs. Generally, the seasoning for this dish consists of garlic, shallots, pepper, and nutmeg, which gives the soup its distinctive aroma.
It's very simple, but when I lived alone, I simplified that “already simple” recipe even more haha. There's a pre-packaged soup sachet that is handy to use for days when we don’t have much time to prepare food. So I usually start with boiling the carrots and cabbage. As you can notice by now, those are the two vegetables I have most often haha so I throw them literally into anything. However, the original version usually also includes potatoes and even long beans.
After the vegetables are boiled, I add the pre-packaged soup sachet, and that’s it. Sometimes I also add spring onions, and if I still have my glass noodles, I’ll add them to the soup as well! On some occasions, I’ll crack an egg, but that’s very rare. Last but not least, to make it spicy, I just chop some bird's eye chili or or simply add pepper instead.
The original recipe for this dish is known for its light, refreshing taste and rich nutrition, making it a popular healthy home-cooked meal. Although I’m not sure if my version is quite as healthy or not, this soup is very easy to enjoy, especially during the rainy season. Somehow, it makes me feel a bit healthier than if I just fried any ingredients haha😂
That’s all I can share today, The art of repeating menus from someone who can’t cook, maybe it’s just me trying to romanticize my boring food🤣 Regardless, thanks for reading as always! Please share what kind of menu that you make repeatedly, hivers? :)