Gastronomic Delights

The delightful art of culinary creations are wonderful sitting in a spectator’s chair. Watching someone else slave away at the stove is, oh so delightful : ) Especially if it is to do with time consuming curries and the like.

No complaints from me if I can bung a chook or lamb in the oven with some root vegetables for good measure and forget about the cooking until the timer goes ((ting)) and Bob’s your uncle.

I can soak in a bath —I personally don’t bath – so I’ll have a shower and go on the internet, watch a bit of telly or do whatever takes my fancy.

If you cook authentic SL or Indian cooking and you are a woman and you have a family and you are gainfully employed, you will understand my sentiments. It engulf a good few hours of your otherwise valuable time. What with the vacuuming, sweeping, washing and hanging, folding and ironing, making beds, dusting, endless cleaning and the list goes on and on…………… Who has time to cook?

I have a new found appreciation for mothers who have full time jobs and yet manage to provide a home cooked dinner for the family. The amount of forward planning and preparation for such an effort is laudable. Juggling work and home life is taxing and I take my hat off to those mothers.

Some people claim cooking is therapeutic, relaxing and de-stressing. Honestly? Perhaps that is all they do around the house or I can vouch they are from another planet.

 

There was a time I enjoyed cooking, followed a recipe and created wonders that ended in the mouths and most of the time in the bin— Regardless, I enjoyed creating it. If others found it offensive, tough– they are better for it and here to relive those delectable moments aren’t they? All my culinary creations flew out the window with the daily slog getting heavier.I wait for the day a computer geek invents a robot to do my cooking, voice activated or push a few buttons and voilà, dinner is ready. Until then I’ll bask in the sheer thought of it. People have a habit of saying “best invention after sliced bread” for every damn invention. Wait till they see a robot that can cook!

With all said and done, I am happy to say I am a diligent mother who makes string hoppers once a week with chicken curry, sambol and dhal to accompany.

I am proud of the length I go to cook these lacy rounds. I steam the wheat flour for an hour or so or buy pre-ground rice flour…….I sieve the flour to a bowl to remove any lumps, then add hot water while stirring constantly, till my arm hurts and until it becomes a pliable dough. I’ll be damned if the consistency comes right first time around and not have to go through another process to correct the mess.

I then get the steamer going while I prepare the string hoppers (SH) by putting the dough in the SH machine and squeeze dainty, lacy rounds onto the SH mats, stack them up in the steamer and cook for a few minutes….take the cooked SHs off the streamer, peel them off the mats, burning my fingers in the process, and arrange them beautifully on a platter. I repeat this process until all the dough is done…..which will consume a good 2 hours or more.

The above was just plain dreaming……..when I snap out of it, I open a packet of rice vermicelli…next best thing to SH….place vermicelli in a bowl and soak in hot water for 5-7 minutes, strain it, hey presto dinner is ready….only difference being, it is not delicate lacy rounds but long strands.

Bon-appétit : )