Cooking routine

Ola!~

Cooking, is not my most favourite thing to do even though I know how to cook. Why? First reason, if I cook, I can't eat it immediately because of the smell that makes me feel full. Second, nak kene beli barang2 and kemas is a hassle. Macam like you have to plan your week nak masak ape then you beli, you can't like beli-beli and then you forgot about the food inside the fridge then basi. And so, that's why you need this. A step-by-step planning you cooking for a week. you can prepare it during weekends or the night before you go to sleep. I'm not the best cook but I learnt from the best, which is my mom. She thought me so much this few months especially pergi pasar tips, masak tips and insyaAllah I ikut her, masak cepat in 1 hour and 30 mins tops + cleaning!

The pasar tips:

1. Go to wet markets instead of super/hypermarket coz its more expensive there. Kalau ade kedai mamak/melayu/cina yg jual sayu loose (not in packets and price tagged) lagi bagus. You beli je 2 tomato, segengam cili/cili padi, carrot satu, potato 3 biji and etc. Kalau pergi NTUC or Sheng Siong takkle pilih seme dah packed abe tibe2 $2. Bankrupt.
2. Plan what to cook for the whole week. Kite ni dah jadi mcm nutritionist tau, masak ikut diet, cannot hentam kari everyday. hahah. Have a balance diet of red meat, white meat and veggies. So every week, you go to the market buy same staples of ayam, ikan, daging lembu. If you feel great that day, nak masak ala Rasa-Rasa, beli lah udang ke, lala ke. Ikan siakap masak kukus halia. Chilli crab ke. But not all lah, giler ke nak masak semua unless you at your mom's place :p
3. Dah plan, nak kene ade list. Shopping list. So you wont derailed from buying nonsense. That's why nabi pesan bile masuk pasar baca doa, mata rambang babe, especially me pergi frozen halal toko warisan shop. Macam satu kedai nak beli!
4. Kena tengok berapa ramai orang kat rumah yg akan makan and catu properly. Jangan membazir. Ade orang bilang, eh jangan lokek dgn anak nak makan, masak je banyak2, kesian anak tu. But you think your son/daughter can finish it? Whether it is going to waste? Kalau semua hentam esbok or encik tong, you do it wrong because membazir. Perut kite ni kecik tangan gengam kite je tapi nafsu kata nak. Ok menceceh lah pulak. Mcm mana nak catu? Let say nak masak soup fishball for lunch and bring forward to dinner, ade 5 orang kat rumah. What you need to do is that you will estimate that each person will eat 2-3 fishballs per serving. Then you multiple by 5 and then time 2 (lunch and dinner). 2 x 5 x 2 = 20 fishballs, you can add like 3 or 4 more just in case someone wants to eat extra. 5 not all will be during lunch, then you minus accordingly. Same goes to fish, ayam goreng and sayur. Kene include people yg allergic to certain kind of food to so tak wasted.
5. If you're the type yang balik kerje dah pukul 8, dah penat tak kuasa nak masak, buy those instant dishes packets like soto, laksa and mee siam and buy the mee lah. Beli packet kuah je nak makan ape kan. So balik, before mandi, you can put this in your pot with air on low heat so bile you habis mandi, tinggal celur mee and eat. hahah. Buy like 5 lah since you work 5 days a week kan. Tapi if your husband the type yang makan nasi hari-hari or western, this magic cannot work for you. 
   
   
   
   

You will need THIS cooking/meal planner. It is easier to do your market-ing for the week.

Cooking tips:

1. You have to discover your style of cooking, whether you are fast or slow type. Whether you OCD type or just biasa2 je.
2. After discovering, if you need improvements, please do. Maybe your technique and your mom or mom in-law different so kene get used to all those. My mom teaches me this secret, when you are cooking, at the same time kemas and cuci barang2 so when you are done with cooking, you pon dah habis kemas. So tak penat and looked messy.
3. You must have 2 chopping boards, one for meat and one for sayur & fruits. Cannot campur. And you cannot have enough knives. nyehehhe. You will learn the art and skills of chopping things, nanti boleh jadi macam Yen Can Cook, if anyone still remember this thing. HAHA!
4. Wash all the sayur2 thoroughly coz of the pesticide and ulat2 maybe terselit. Daging I will wash as per normal. I've realised some people soak it with baking powder while others wash until the meat becomes pale. Ermm its red meat, its suppose to look red and bloody. You cuci berapa lama pun it is still have blood because it is red meat. You draining out the blood, takde khasiat in the end. pfft. Ayam, cuci the gut out, all the blood around the ribs area, celah2 dia semua. Ikan, the most favourite food of mine has a slightly susah sikit nak hilangkan hamis unless you're cooking in soups with lotsa ginger or steam ginger fish. First, you need to cut all the tajam fins at the side top and bottom. Then you need to take the gut out under their throat, making sure all the darah2 dah keluar. Lepastu you slice the fish according to what you want to cook. Like asam pedas ikan merah lain. Then soak with asam jawa and 3 limes worth of juice to make the smell gone. Wash it out after like 5-10 mins of soaking and throw into your soup. Masak sardine from tin mcm mane nak cuci? No need, just put 5 limes worth of juice into your tomato sauce sardine. I also practice 5 second rule in my kitchen. Anything drop on the floor, sink or the table top, I'll pick it up, wash it and put inside the pot. Simple.
5. If you malas giler nak masak so many times, you can repeat dishes like asam pedas, rawan and kari. You masak banyak2, the half simpan in freezer and you can reheat it in 2-3 days time. Kari can eat with so many things, like nasi, roti jala, roti perancis. That's why I love kari coz senang nak masak and can re-eat so many times.hahaha
6. Sambal or cili masak lebih and keep it in the chiller. This cili can masak so many things like sambal nasi lemak, cili masak sotong ke udang, cili kerang ke masak ikan pari ke. Hah! amekkau
7. Another secret my mom told me is to not cook too much. Like dah ade asam pedas then nak masak sayur2, asam pedas inside got sayur already, maybe just goreng ikan and keropok. Don't need to complicate things to masak so much like kedai, memang penat. Like you masak lauk tahu kering, you goreng tempeh kicap and telur dadar sudah. simple. Unless your husband yang type kene masak full meal, tu susah sikit lah kan.
8. Dah masak lauk lemak2 like lodeh, sambal godok ke, laksa ke, esok masak soupy and healthy meal like soup fishball ke, soup sayur ke. Keep the healthy lifestyle lor.
9. Sekali sekala westernize sikit lah, fish and chips (beli kat Toko Warisan dory fish 3 in a pack for $3, then balik goreng aje) goreng fries and beli baked beans, done. Same goes to chicken, dah ade yang. Or pastas like Spaghetti Bolognese, Creamy Pasta or Aglio Olio.