21st Feb 2010 Today, as planned, I made a trip to Chinatown. Purposely made a detour and finally found Chinatown. Went to a Chinese grocer and stocked up on geiji, nanxin beixin, a packet of soup mix and dried mushrooms. I can finally whip up soups with the condiments bought. As usual, ate toast with cheese and tuna with a bottle of milk for breakfast before going out. Now it’s 1.50PM here and I’ve marinated chicken to braise with the mushrooms for dinner. It’s my turn to cook dinner tonight. Hopefully, I can make something decent. I tend to be an over-imaginative cook and once I am in a trance, the food can come out disastrous. It’s much cooler today. Maybe someone heard my complaint and made the weather better. Thank you whoever up there. ~2pm entry. Just set my chicken and mushrooms to braise. Hopefully, it turns out well. Changed a step though as I didn’t have any ginger and added in Italian herbs instead. Next, I will be boiling the broccoli and toast the diced capsicums. I have never tried this way of cooking before either. Shh…don’t tell it to my housemates.~6.20pm entry. Finally, it’s food tasting time. My food is bland. The only heavy tasting food is the mushrooms in the chicken and the toasted capsicums. Also, my co-tenant didn’t like the taste of geiji. I became an expert with the broccoli as I boiled it in a wok of water and some oil. After the broccoli is cooked, I took it out and soaked it in iced water; like the pro chef on the variety cooking show shown in SG. A note of observation, the Western chef should infuse some Asian cooking methods and ingredients to their cooking. Whoever heard my complaint has finally showered me with a cool evening. I can feel the breeze and my mum messaged me to tell me that it’s 4.50PM over in SG and she is heading to my grandmother’s place when I have finished taken my dinner at 7.50PM and preparing to bathe in two hours time. ~ 8.21pm entry.
