Good cook, happy marriage? Wallahualam.
When I got married about 30 years ago, I only cook to avoid starvation. I cook simple dishes such as fried chicken, soup and stir-fry veges. En suami taught me how to cook spaghetti with sardines. Alhamdulillah we survived.
Why? I studied in boarding school all through form 1 to Lower 6. When I went home during the school holidays, I only spent my time sleeping and watching TV.
When my family grew bigger, I polished my skills in cooking. I bought many cookbooks but they were not a great help. I befriended the late mak cik Sofi and she would gave me recipes whenever I complimented the dishes that she cooked. Ayam merah, daging hitam, ayam coklat are among my family favourites. My good friend, Puan Muhaini taught me how to cook Chicken rice and 'mee kari'. Another good friend of mine, who is from Terengganu , taught me how to cook nasi kerabu and baulu kukus. She uses natural colouring from the flowers to colour the rice. Other friends taught me nasi dagang, ikan tiga rasa, ayam tandoori and the list goes on and on.
My late in-laws were really the ones who sincerely taught me how to be a good cook. They would ask me to peel the onions, garlic and prepare all the ingredients needed. Then they would ask me to stir while they throw the ingredients inside the pot! See, I only became a good cook after I had 2 children!
Well not all cookbooks are lousy. I used Chef Wan's step by step recipe when I baked my first pizza. The chocolate cake that I served azhar's friends during hari raya is from a booklet published by TESCO and everybody just loved it.
Learning is a lifelong process. Do not hesitate to ask for the recipes whenever you come across a lovely dish. To all the good cooks that happen to read my blog, share your secrets with us. You'll never know that you are doing good deeds to others , strengthening family ties through the recipes that you shared.
Well, if you happen to marry someone who is not keen to cook, then be patient. Praise her when there is a slight improvement. Give her encouragement. Praise her on her effort. InsyaAllah, she'll be a good cook someday.
Makcik, terharu baca entri ni....saya pun tak pandai masak gak..asik ulang masakan yg sama jer...haha...but,we developed each day,kan...thanx 4 sharing ur story n experience...at least,saya tak rasa seorang anak dara y teruk sbb xpandai masak....huhu
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing is, you are willing to learn. Jgn putus asa jika masakan tidak menjadi. Practice makes perfect. Good luck.
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