A melancholy story

This year is our last year in Brisbane. Though we are looking forward to come home for good, but deep down we feel sad to leave our current home, the place, the city that we have resided for 3 years. 3 as a number sounds small, but when we decompose it into the number of months in a year, the number of weeks in a month, the number of days in a week, the hours in a day, the minutes in an hour, the second in a minute and so forth, it feels like you have been here for such a long time.

But am not referring to the duration as something that we want to leave behind or resentment, but looking at the value in it. There are so many things happened either to me, atang and the family as the whole unit. So many challenges that we have faced, so many fond and bitter memories that we will always cherished (well at least to me, because I am the sentimental type) and so many decisions we have to make in order to survive in this foreign land. Although we have been here for 3 years, I still feel it strange, and nothing close to my heart accept the place where I was born. Like the popular Malay saying, "Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri, baik lagi negeri sendiri."

One of the greatest challenge that I have to face is cooking. Before I came here, cooking is something that I treat as a task. Honestly, I started to cook after I got married. Before that I only help in the kitchen. Ok ok..I should make this straight. Before I got married I know how to cook nasi goreng,mee goreng, ikan goreng, ayam goreng and simple dishes. Tu tak kira laaa...hahahahahha.... What I am referring to is, cooking the complete meals for your own family. Even when I got married, whenever I don't feel like cooking, well, it's not a big decision to make. It is in fact an option and can easily substitute with other choice like for instead buying/tapau (how I miss saying this word) food, eat out (eh sama laaa), eating at your siblings homes and calling mak in the weekend and ask her "what's cooking mom?"....ahahhahah...... ok...over emphasis. But it is true. So when we came here, it is the most difficult obstacle that I have to face. What I don't like most is to plan what I want/need to cook for the whole week (well at least), because we can only do shopping on weekend, plus can only buy chicken and meat at only a few halal butchers around Brisbane. Buying things in a large amount, squeezing them into the freezer, hopefully it will covers for two weeks meals. Plus it tested my planning and management skill. Yes...am not a spontaneous person. I must plan what I want to do even for just for a few hours. I hate impromptu things.

Anyway, back to the cooking issue. Here, I have no choice but to cook. My first year here is worst, because at that time we didn't explore much, and didn't know that there are a lot of halal places around Brisbane. The only places or food that we frequent are Kebab outlets. Nasib baik kebab kat sini sedap, so we did enjoy eating them, eventhough on every weekend. So I have to improve my cooking skill to satisfy the craving of the family (ok...I admit my craving). I am lucky that looking for recipes is now as easy as A, B, C. I would like to say thank you for all the people who shared their recipes on the web. Gradually, cooking has become an obsession...ok that is too strong word, ahahhaha...it downgrade the purpose I am here....hmmm.... ok let me rephrase. Gradually, cooking has become a hobby. I enjoy cooking (oowww suddenly the word reminds me of my research). Once a resentment has became a pleasure. Moreover, cooking is a stress reliever. And searching for recipes has become a favourite past-time activity (though sometime I browse during my working hour). I should extend my gratitude to my family for putting up to all this, although I know sometimes it was not that good hahahahha... because without them I will never improve my cooking skill. Kadang-kadang terasa untuk pencen dan jadi suri di rumah sepenuh masa aje...ahahahahha... is that possible? Maybe not in near future laaa... someday...hmmm... I have an aunt who once wanted to do the same thing, quit her job and open a nasi lemak stall. Her ayam goreng rempah is to die for. I wonder when she will finally do it.

OK laaa...dah panjang sangat nih. Bila ada mood nak nulis/merepek kat sini, ini la jadinya...

To add to my recipe collection, I tried making Roti John weeks ago. After browsing and researching here and there (cooking is a research too tau), I came up with my version of Roti John (basically I referred to MamaFami's fotopages, and improvised a bit). For those who is not familiar with Roti John, it is a bun fried in omelette sometimes filled with meat or sardines and is a popular pasar malam (hawker) food in Malaysia.
My Roti John recipe:

Ingredients:
Brown onion, diced
Minced meat/chicken/mash sardines
Ground black pepper

White pepper

A little bit of cooking oil
Salt to taste
Eggs (1 egg = 1 bun, so the number of eggs is equal to the number of buns u use)
Hot dog/burger buns
Mayo, ketchup or chilli sauce
Some slice cucumber

Method:
1. In a non stick pan, saute the onion with a little bit of oil.
2. Add the minced meat, ground black pepper and fry until cook. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat.
3. Cut the buns into half (but don't cut through, leave the two half still intact).
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl, season with salt and white pepper. Then add the meat mixture.
5. Heat the pan. The pan should have a little bit of oil left from the frying, if not put a little bit of oil. Then scoop a ladle of the egg+meat mixture and pour it on the pan, evenly spread it to the shape of the bun.
6. Then press the two half of a bun on top the mixture. Leave it until the egg+meat mixture is cooked.
7. Flip the bun to brown the other side of the bun for, just for seconds. Then remove the bun from the pan.
8. Arrange some slice cucumber and squeeze some mayo, ketchup/chilli sauce.
9. Cut into half....and.... makan laaa...


p.s. I wonder how Roti John get its name? By whom, why and how..ahahahhahha...am so curious


yours truly,