A Game-changing challenge I wish to undertake
4:30:00 PM
Many times I question myself,
what is that one thing that I would like to accomplish? Something that will not
only benefit me, but to those around me as well? Quite frankly, a new objective
or goal.
With the help of my best friend
Google, it is said that the definition of goal would be "the object of a
person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result." However, a goal in
my context isn't far off. In short, I would love to learn how to cook. Not just
boiling rice and steaming fish. Something more complex and well,
acceptable.
Being a food blogger, I've tried
countless restaurant over the years of my participation. There were some
memorable restaurants in which they'd served delicious food and some I wish to
forget due to its quality and taste. However, I can't eat out on a daily basis.
A few times a week, sure, but definitely not every day.
I believe by learning how to cook
properly, I would be able to satisfy my own palette with that vast amount of ingredients,
spices and herbs. Creating different flavours, texture, aroma not only for
myself, but for those around me. I wouldn't say that this goal that I'm trying
to achieve will be a game-changer in any way, but the skills will definitely be
very useful in the future.
Over the years, even before the
inception of my own food blog, I've been a big fan of cooking shows. Well, a
few to be more precise; Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Michel Roux Jr,
Jamie Oliver, Guy's Big Bite and several Youtube home-cooks. Coupled with some
friendly encouragement and the pressure of the Internet (thank God), I've
finally decided to take up the challenge of cooking.
So I moved on to the next big
question - What is it that I should cook?
I mean, I can cook Maggie,
sausages and eggs but I wouldn't consider them anywhere complete. With the help
and cravings of my girlfriend, I've decided to go with a aglio-olio with bacon.
Now, I've mentioned several times that I'm not exactly a big fan of Aglio-olio
pastas, but my girlfriend and her family are. So what the heck.
With that in mind, I went and
purchase the necessary ingredients which I do not have at home - pastas,
garlic, chilly flakes and one of my favourite ingredient - bacon. There is no
need for bacon but I thought I would like to try something different.
I started out with the ridiculous
amount of garlic. Spending more than 30 minutes peeling and slicing them into
thin pieces. At that point, I've also realized that I bought way too much
garlic. Amazingly, this was the most difficult part of the entire process. I'm
not even kidding, the process was so tedious that I almost gave up halfway and
opt to purchase peeled garlic instead. But being a stingy Chinese has proved
helpful as I will not spend unnecessarily.
After centuries spent on the garlic,
I went on slicing the bacon into their appropriate sizes. Followed by heating
up the water for the pasta along with the pan for the aglio-olio sauce.
1. Began with pouring some olive
oil into the pan, be generous.
2. Start to sear my sliced pork
bacon, give them colour as colour means flavour.
3. Add a scoop of butter for
added richness and flavour infused within the bacon.
4. After the bacon has browned to
my liking, I went on and poured in the sliced garlic.
5. Wait till the garlic starts
bubbling and transferred the spaghetti from the pot into the pan.
6. Add some of the salted starch
water from the spaghetti pot into the pan to help it bind.
7. Mix thoroughly and seasoned
with salt, pepper and chilli flakes according my liking.
8. Serve.
The steps were fairly simple and
straight-forward but getting the seasoning and spiciness right was a challenge.
The first serving I did was slightly bland and the second was a little bit too
salty. After my third trial, I was quite satisfied with the results.
Having said that, I wouldn't say
that I've achieved my goal as I believe there are much more to learn. This is
the first lesson that I'm undertaking and I do plan to pursue further. To cook
dishes beyond our daily household and to perfect a few recipes I have in mind.
Some of which includes bolognese sauce, pesto sauce, shepherd's pie, mash
potato and many more.
I've also realized that, with a
little push, determination and will, the impossible may no longer stay that
way. With that, I would love to cook more often, probably once a week or once
in two weeks. Regardless, it's hard to say for now but it's definitely worth
the shot.
I would also like to thank my
friends, my girlfriend and her family (for accepting the terms of being my lab
rat) and #P1, for their everlasting encouragement on this game-changing
achievement. Just like their #ReadyToP1ay game-changing campaign,
currently with no upfront payment upon registration, you too can experience 1-month
free broadband internet or mobile internet, applicable to all #P1 plans - ForHome®, ForBiz® or even ToGo® with a 24-month contract.
Here is also an embedded video
for your amusement.
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