Menu: ABC Soup, Oyster Mushroom Omelette and Stir-fried kailan

Jac: Yes I know, the menu’s nothing remarkable except for the fact that this time I was cooking. Not too many people know this but bran is the master chef in this household (and I the glorified ‘assistant’ chef and designated dishwasher . But I suddenly had a craving for this particular unassuming menu, as I am often wont to do for various types of food at odd times; macadamia nut/green tea/almond fudge ice-cream, chocolates, brownies, pie, steak etc etc. You name it, I’ve craved it.

So buoyed by a rare wave of domesticated-ness and a drive to fulfill my craving, I made the grocery run down to Tesco’s on my own, jostling with all the other ‘makciks” and “pakciks’ communing there on a weekday. Rushing home with the groceries (ABC soup needs hours of simmering to derive it’s taste and I was already late) I put my eager assistant to work roughly chopping carrots, tomatoes, potatoes and big onions while I cleaned the 2 chicken thighs I’d bought. The only step left was then to place all the ingredients into the pot, cover it with water, bring to a boil and then close the lid and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.

Jac: The idiot-proof preparation is what I love about this soup, in fact if done right, after bubbling merrily away for hours, the soup is infused with the robust sweetness of all the ingredients. But me being me, my soup naturally turned out needing salt after all as I’d put in too much water. Lesson for the day: Idiot-proof is not Jaclyn-proof. Sigh, why is this not a surprise?

Jac: In converse, the oyster mushroom omelette, another favourite dish of mine, turned out unexpectedly well. This time I took pains to wash and dry the mushrooms before frying the omelette thereby preventing water soaked mushrooms from making the omelette soggy.

Bran: I’d forgotten to get oyster sauce and dark/thick soya sauce and had to make do with Superior Soy, Worcerstershire Sauce and Fish Sauce. It turned out….edible.

The ABC soup was nice! Chicken soft and tender – though I did have to add salt and pepper to taste. All in all, it was a good attempt at Chinese cooking, on those rare occasions that we do venture into the Asian side of cooking. << patting ourselves on the back >>

Jac: Not an entirely successful attempt at cooking dinner, but I must have been un-fazed as I was to dabble in more cookery foolery again the day after…<<sound of ominous thunder in the background>>