Oh! She Cooks.

Happiness isn't a destination...It's a way of life, love, music that fills the soul with good good food. I occasionally cook for people I love; whilst I entertain myself with a glass of wine or two and maybe even 3 shots of sweet Colombian rum.. Follow trails of my mischief in the kitchen, my everyday ponders, what ifs, my eating habits, my love and appreciation I have for plating up food. After all we all eat with our eyes. Nothing too serious.

[ohshecooks]

Days like this..

And I felt like my heart had been thoroughly and irreparably broken

That there could be no real joy again, that at best there might eventually be a little contentment.

Everyone wanted me to get help and rejoin life, pick up the pieces and move on and I tried to, I wanted to

But I had to lie in the mud with my arms wrapped around myself, eyes closed, grieving, until I didn’t have to anymore.

X Saturdays thoughts

[ohshecooks]

Unedits

Love is not circumstantial. It’s not just present in the moments when you put your best efforts forward, the days when you can conquer anything, the times where life flows as smooth as ever.

It is there thriving in the moments when you are raw, unfiltered and unedited.

When you didn’t get enough sleep but still open those eyes with hope, when you feel tired and worn down but still persists through another day, when you fall and make mistakes but get back up and grow .

“I do not love you only when the sun is shining, but also when storms strikes and hails hits the windows”

I will always love you when the moon makes an appearance to remind me I have been blessed with another day.

Dad. I miss you.

[ohshecooks]

I love fried chicken so much, I invited a few fellow friends over so I could indulge them in some home made spicy Korean fried chicken and some other few dishes.

Add a bit of funk into the mix and we’ve got something like this on a plate! Sticky, sweet, spicy and crunchy, it all works well together.

Swig it down with a few more bottles of soju and it’s a great recipe for a party!!

[ohshecooks]

Salmon Laab (Larb)

Larb, a boldly flavoured Laotian dish, often combines minced chicken, minced pork or other minced meat with dried chillies, spring onions, shallots, fish sauce, lime, fresh herbs and nutty toasted rice, which you can make yourself or find at Asian markets. 

The dish also works with fish. In this quick fish version with raw salmon - thinly sliced, then topped over with the tossed herbs and dressing with gentle sprinkle of toasted rice. Serve with sticky rice, small wedges of green cabbage, cucumber spears or lettuce leaves.

DRESSING

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 ½ Tbsp Lime juice

1 small clove garlic, finely grated

pinch salt

1-2 tspn sugar

Tbsp paedek (optional)

2 stalks of lemongrass, very thinly sliced

Desirable amount of Chilli flakes, to taste

Salad

175g sushi-grade raw salmon

3 sprigs coriander

3-4 leaves sawtooth coriander

4 stalks of spring onion, chopped

2 kaffir lime leaves thinly sliced

Handful of mint leaves

2 Tbsp red onion or shallots, short julienne

3 birdseye chillies, chopped

1 Tbsp toasted rice powder

METHOD

Make the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Assemble:

Slice the salmon thinly and arrange the pieces flat on a plate, making sure the pieces are touching.

Combine the herbs, onion and chillies in a small bowl.

Stir the toasted rice powder into the dressing, then pour most of the dressing over the herbs, reserving a little bit for a final drizzle.

Toss the herbs and place on top of the salmon, arranging it however you like. Pour the reserved dressing over the rest of the salmon - you don’t need to use all of the dressing if it looks like too much; you can always add more later.

Garnish with some extra herbs and red onion, then serve immediately. 

(The lime juice will continue to cook the salmon like a ceviche if you don’t serve it quickly, so don’t assemble the dish until ready to serve!)

[ohshecooks]

The thing about hurting

And when you fall back into the pain you thought you had healed; it’s okay to cry.

Because it’s hard to look at a situation that said and done and accept there is nothing you can do to change it.

So when it all becomes too much, release the hurt that is crashing against your heart and allow yourself to start healing once again.

It’s okay to relapse with certain pains, there may be more to it than you realise that needs healing.

And when you are able to feel it, you are able to know where you need to begin the process of putting yourself back together.

X

[ohshecooks]

To whoever is reading this.

It wont always be like this

Working without love

At jobs that can’t remember your name

And want to charge you for less

Than your worth

There won’t always be days of darkness

Amidst the hanging sun.

It won’t always be empty conversations

Full of promises no one plans to keep

Or friends that grow farther apart

Despite the lack of distance.

It won’t always feel like things are coming

And going but never coming.

It won’t always be like this.

It won’t.

[ohshecooks]

Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs

I didn't realise that barbecue hot sauce on ribs was a thing until I was in my teens. 

Growing up, my dad would deep pan fry these simply seasoned ribs that were so delicious, they've always made sauce seem superfluous to me. 

What I love about these ribs is that they allow the pork to be the superstar, rather than just the vehicle for a killer barbecue sauce. They cook up in no time, have a great meaty bite and should you feel inspired to sauce 'em up, they're the perfect canvas.  

Ingredients

3 racks of babyback ribs

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

METHOD

Cut ribs to individually.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the ribs and leave to marinate for at least 2 - 3 hours.

Add frying oil into a pan. Fry the ribs over medium heat. Flip to brown all sides. Fry until the meat is brown and the bone protrudes, about 15-20 minutes. 

Serve with a beer or side of steaming jasmine rice!

[ohshecooks]

Garlic Obessed. If you’re not roasting garlic, you’re missing out!

Favourite way to roast them: cut a few whole head garlic in half, place in a shallow baking dish cut side down, cover with olive oil and bake at 180 for 45 minutes until sticky and caramelised.

Put it on everything!! Perfect for dips, dressings, purées etc!

[ohshecooks]

She was a free bird one minute; queen of the world and laughing.

The next minute she would be in tears like a porcelain angel, about to teeter, fall and break.

She never cried because she was afraid something ‘would’ happen; she would cry because she feared something that could render the world more beautiful, ‘would not’ happen.

[ohshecooks]

Self x

To the woman who is trying to put herself first in a society where you are taught to be selfless. I feel you. To the woman you doesn’t understand who she really is or doing. You soon will. To the woman who is trying her best effort to love herself, dreaming about passion that would set her soul on fire. I understand. To the woman who doesn’t yet know that her soul is made up of a galaxy full of stars, that she is literally in the hands of the universe... I love you.

Darling, you are the milk and honey and all things soft. But you are also strong and powerful and so so wonderful. Your heart is made up of gold that lies deep beneath the oceans. The pearls that are embedded inside every cloud, pouring warmth serenity onto lives of others. The wings upon a butterfly, strong enough to carry you through the times when life becomes messy. Delicate enough for you to feel so incredibly deep, to devour the purest of love. Your heart is made up of light. The light that is enough to inspire and elevate another soul, the kind that is like a candle lit bath after a hard day. The first breakthrough of sunshine after a storm dancing its way through from behind the clouds.

Your heart and soul is what makes you.

The way you carry and project yourself, the way you sing and dance in the streets as if no one is watching. Not a single care in the world, is just beautiful. You may not be where you are right now; you may not see how much you are needed in this thing we call life.

But that’s okay.

You’re learning, growing, hurting, healing, making mistakes. You’re present, you’re living. I’m proud of you.

[ohshecooks]

Crispy Potato Spuds with bacon and thyme rosemary sprinkles

What makes these crispy pan fried potatoes so good? The potatoes are cooked in bacon fat and a whole heap of garlic brown butter!

Some days we are all entitled to a bit of decadence.

I’m keeping things short and sweet today because what I’m about to talk about needs no long introduction: bacon. That crispy, salty, curly-when-fried cured meat that I don’t usually care for but desperately craved the other day and when I say bacon, I’m referring to those strips that are half fat, half meat. There is no room for that imitation.Not today!

Ingredients

2 thick strips of fatty bacon (use 3 if you want more bacon bits for later)

340g small Yukon gold potatoes

1 TBS fresh rosemary and thyme

2 clove garlic

1 TBS Unsalted Butter

1 tsp shaved Parmesan

1 generous pinch of kosher salt

Method

Wash and cut potatoes into quarters.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and then add potatoes. Simmer potatoes for about 10-12 minutes until they are fork tender.

While potatoes are cooking fry the bacon in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Flip the bacon frequently until most of the fat has burned off and bacon is crispy. Turn off the heat. This should take between 5 to 10 minutes. Line a plate with a paper towel and place the cooked bacon on the lined plate.

Add unsalted butter in rendered bacon fat, add garlic, rosemary and thyme and give everything a quick stir to infuse the flavour.

Drain out potatoes, place them cut side down in the skillet pan. Let them crisp for 2-3 minutes, flip and repeat until both cut end sides are brown and crisp.

Season with salt and Parmesan to taste and then sprinkle the bacon on top. Transfer to plate. Best served warm.

[ohshecooks]

If anyone knows me, whipping up great street food style meals is one of my best traits. One of my favourite pick me ups from either a late night hang or the next day hangover is this one: PAD KRA PAO

Basically it’s just mince meat of any sort whether it be pork, chicken or beef stir fried with Thai basil, garlic and a heap of chilli!! With a side of steaming hot jasmine rice and a good sunny side up fried egg and garnished with another heap of hot chillies!

20 minutes and Fred’s your second uncle.

[ohshecooks]

Smoked Salmon Fennel Orange Pomegranate Salad

After a busy day, even the thought of having to cook dinner can be exhausting. This makes a lovely light supper, and is quick and easy to put together. It can be all too easy to scramble some eggs and serve them on toast. But this smoked salmon dish is just as simple, and is healthy and fresher.

The refreshing flavours of orange and fennel cut through the salty richness of the smoked salmon and the sweet pops of pomegranate arils are perfectly interwine together.

It would make a fine Christmas starter or any lunch, brunch or dinner gatherings.

INGREDIENTS

100g smoked salmon

1 small fennel bulb, trimmed

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 garlic clove, finely grated

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

Salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup pomegranate arils

2 tablespoons finely sliced red onion

Microherbs to garnish

Method

Cut out the heart of the fennel and then finely slice the fennel bulb using setting 1 on a mandolin. You want it sliced very thinly. In a bowl mix the juice, oil, garlic, ginger, salt and black pepper. Pour over the fennel and toss. Drain the dressing and place on a serving plate.

Slice salmon into smaller pieces and arrange on top of the fennel. Sprinkle pomegranate and red onion on top and then the microherbs.

[ohshecooks]

Untitled.

Sometimes two people don’t grow at the same rate; sometimes things do not attach like they used to, because parts of them that used to connect are no longer the same size. Sometimes as people stay together they realise what they need and what they can not live without.

Outgrowing a relationship is like trying to make everything familiar for a stranger. It feels ridiculous to leave something that has nothing wrong with it. It almost makes you wonder whether you should stay cos its not killing you in ways youve seen before.

Whether you decide to dedicate into putting forth effort to grow with somebody hoping to intertwine, to stay because that’s all you can fathom or you dare to experience beyond what’s in front of you - I for one don’t know what the right answer is..

But I do know is only great things happen when you are present for them. I know the most beautiful moments in life will be held in the seconds you are willing to be somewhere you’ve never been.

I know life is contingent, subject to change. I know we are worthy of every moment that we choose to move forward in the face of contempt. I know there’s more out there, because I’ve experienced what it is like to progress - I know what it’s like to heal, because I’ve lived in the abstraction of brokeness over and over.

Movement is the train that gives you the tour of sunlight that you would never see if you do not show up on every departure. It takes the willingness to travel to reach our destination. It takes the knowing that amending our environment, ourselves is sometimes the only way to get us there.

Growth has no limits. There is no way to precisely plan the outcome of anything because our surroundings are always changing. We can never accurately assume how much something is going to sprout; all we can do is nourish it in the meantime.

X

[ohshecooks]

Burnt butter Garlic Butterfly Prawns

The best way to eat these shrimp in the shell is to peel them at the table and lick the garlicky butter off your fingers.

Now there’s something magical that happens to butter when you simmer it for a long time. It turns brown which is nothing special in and of itself. The magical part is the nutty aroma and flavour that comes with the browning. It’s crazy addictive! So count this meal as something to indulge in and treat yourself with because you’ve earned it.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter

6 cloves garlic chopped

2 birdseye chillies chopped

1 kg prawns with shells intact, butterflied and deveined

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

half a lemon

Method

Halve the shrimp lengthwise, leaving them attached below the head. De-vein the shrimp and spread them open. Season with salt and pepper.  

Melt butter to a large skillet over medium heat. As the butter melts, it will begin to foam as it transitions from a bright, lemon-yellow color to golden and then finally to a nutty-brown color. As the butter just begins to turn nutty-brown from golden, reduce your heat to medium-low and carefully toss in your garlic and chillies. Cook until it just begins to become tender and then turn off heat. Stir in fresh chopped parsley.

Brush butter over prawns and place under a hot grill, with little olive oil. Allow prawns to cook, shell side down until meat is firm and slightly translucent. Shells should be dark and fragrant. Pour any excess butter on top and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes. 

Remove prawns from heat and arrange on platter, drizzle left over butter sauce from grill, garnish with parsley and squeeze over with lemon juice.

[ohshecooks]

Long Time No Pork

Cooking can become a bit of a chore in the summer—for me too, even! But this easy dish of Chinese green beans with pork (or chicken or beef!) is delicious and simple.

I love to eat, but when it’s hot and humid, I just want to make something quick and easy. Of course, that something quick and easy must also taste good. You know me––I’ll never settle when it comes to taste. This Chinese green bean and pork stir-fry meets that requirement and more.

This simple and delicious dish has everything in it - crunchy vegetable, crispy pork pieces and the addictive hot and spicy sauce. You certainly need plenty of steamed rice to go with this or a case of beer!

A simple case of Tuesdays blues

Ingredients

1 bunch of yard long beans, cut into 6 cm pieces*

300 g of pork belly, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 cm knob of ginger, chopped

2 bird chilies, chopped

2 tbs of hot bean paste

2 tbs of oyster sauce

1 tbs of light soy

1 tbs of sugar

Method

Prepare the vegetables and aromatics. Marinate pork belly with salt and pepper and a little corn flour.

Fry pork belly pieces with a little oil til golden and crispy. Drain well and set aside.

Saute chopped ingredients with a little oil til fragrant then add in the seasonings and continue to cook for a minute. Add beans and fry on high heat for a minute.

Return the crispy pork belly pieces and mix well.

Serve with steam rice.

[ohshecooks]

Food for Thought.

Food has always been my thing. Most of my childhood memories are intertwined with what I ate and how it made me feel. As I grew older, messing around in the kitchen for hours became a ripe field for creativity and a way to nurture myself. But, ironically, for food to be my thing, in the past few years as I navigated through my work, I barely ate. I ignored my hunger, and I ignored myself.

What was most important was work. Toiling away for as many hours as possible. Pitching, writing, researching, filing invoices, following up on invoices, re-fielding rejected marketing. I repeated the following so often it was a mantra: I needed to work hard to prove how good I was. There was always something else to be finished. And then another hour would go by, another hour I neglected my hunger.

When I finally paid attention to the monster of my stomach, the last rays of sun would be disappearing. I’d cave and rush to get takeout. What I ate was rarely truly nourishing or fulfilling. It was, instead, a bridge. Something to get me through but I had barely touched it.

I sat stoically, staring into space, unable to think or even feel clearly. I’m innately a crier, but very few tears fell. Working was out of the question because my mind felt cluttered yet empty and unsettled. I drank more than I should have. When I should have been leaning on other friends for emotional support, I was cutting most of them off because it was too much to deal with. I felt more isolated than ever. My grief became a rock-hard cocoon I dared anyone to interfere with. And no one did. I mostly grieved alone.

We’ve all been told it’s always the strongest ones, the ones who look like they have never needed love from anyone but themselves, those are the people that need love the most. You see, they’ve become so good at hiding their hurt, their pain that people simply forget that they too feel just as vulnerable as everybody else. They’re expected to laugh through their problems because thats what they have always done and the support that they give others is never returned because no one thinks they need it.

They are so used to be everyone else’s rock, everyone else’s crying shoulder, everyone else’s human to turn to, that when it comes to their own pain, they simply bottle it up and put it away. They cry alone, they hurt alone, they never tell anyone about their nightmares, being because if they do, they’re afraid people will not see them as strong anymore. They are afraid of crumbling in front of anyone else because they do not want to seem weak and broken..

It’s been 48 hours since my last meal.

Why do we tend to lose our appetites when we grieve?

When we struggle.

When we feel alone.

When we hurt.

When we stop caring.

When we are broken.

When we have anxiety.

When we stress.

When everything we thought was finally put in place isn’t exactly what we really needed.

Maybe we just need to finally let go of it all, the vulnerability, the grief, our egos - pull down our walls and maybe the pain will hurt a little less.

X