Home-Cooked Food VS Outside Food - A Tribute to Mummy
Please be aware that this is going to be a biased post.
Long before I was born (I think in the 60s), there was this little girl, who everyday cooks food for her mum to sell on the streets during the kampong days. The food was good, business was good that they eventually managed to rent a stall at a coffee shop... I am very proud to say that this little girl is none other than my beloved MUMMY!! WOOOO!! *claps claps* However, as mummy wants to study, she refused to continue to work at the stall.
And because my mummy is a good cook, dinner at home is always a blissful thing to do. My family cooks everyday, minimum 3 dishes and 1 soup. For a Cantonese family, soup is always a must-have during dinner time. And also because we always have home-cooked food, I rarely have mixed-veg rice outside. I will usually have food that I have at home, like Korean, Japanese, Western food, steamboat, that kind. Friends whom I meet up with often will know my top favorite is always Japanese sushi or Sashimi. XD
My mum learnt to cook a variety of food, never from recipe book, but always from TV shows, market or from her friends. She can cook Chicken Rice, Curry Chicken, Salted Egg Crab, Cereal Prawns, Ee Mee, Char Kway Teow. Well these are some of the main dishes you always see at the hawker centres, I have them in the comfort of my own home!
Here are some of the food that my mum can cook, compared to what we have from outside.
Central Hong Kong Cafe
Vivocity #B2-13/14
Soy Sauce Chicken Leg Rice
Food display is awesome, dark and shiny skin, with some cabbage as a side. Looks and smell great, tasted quite homely as well. However, the meat was just a tat dry.
Mummy's style Dark Soy Sauce Chicken
Food display is not as great. But this the is BEST dark soy sauce chicken I have had since young. Ever since mum cooked this dish for the first time, Soy sauce chicken rice/noodle/horfun was never on my choice-of-food list when I am out. I will always order Steamed Chicken rice instead (even though, mummy's steamed chicken is also the best \(^.^)/ ). She will the best grade dark soy sauce, and cooked it just nice that every bite is soooooo tender. When I was younger, I use to have a whole chicken leg to myself. XD
Central Hong Kong Cafe
Vivocity #B2-13/14
Signature Wanton Noodle (Soup)
HTB ordered this previously when we visited. He said that the wonton was nice, with a whole prawn in the wanton. Personally, I never liked wanton soup because usually the wanton are always filled with paste instead of solid meat, the skin is always soggy and makes fill like I am eating dough on its own. I will definitely prefer fried ones, but usually what you find outside are usually just meat paste (don't know mixed with what).
Mummy's style Fried Wanton. Just look at how full the wantons are!!! Yes, we have prawns too! the meat are definitely not mixed with any paste. We also added some water chestnuts for a crunchy bite and sweet taste. If any day we felt like eating healthier, mum will steam the wanton instead of soaking them in soup. If you are steaming the wanton, remember to smear some oil between the wanton else the skins are gonna stick together!
I love eating seafood overseas where I thought any places that are located near the sea have great fresh seafood. Yes, no doubt they are fresh, but doesn't mean they can cook themm well or even taste well. Let's just compare crabs (don't compare Japan... shhhhh... it's supposed to be a biased post.)
Crabs from Taiwan?
Fresh, yes. But taste? Normal. If you ask, where is the best part of the crab? Claws! The claws are tweeny mini. The roe!!!! Not with a broken shell!
If you have read about my JB trip blog post, the crabs were praised. Firm meat, buttery taste. But we were expecting some drier salted egg yolk crab where we can really taste the salted egg yolk. But with that price, it definitely a steal! Read about my JB blog post for the locations and details!
Mummy's crab in 3 styles - Steamed, Salted Egg and Stir-Fried Tomato Sauce. What holy CRAB, Malaysia Crab, Taiwan Crab! CRAP!!! (Oopss) Mummy's crabs are the best!!! Claw is claw, roe is roe. Salted egg is salted egg. Unique, home-cooked style. The photo says it all. If you ask, apa tomato sauce sia?!! Because I'm not a spicy food lover. Hehehe! Mummy loves me~ <3 (P.S. I have the recipe for the salted egg yolk crab. Muahahaha!)
Seafood Ee Mee from any Zi Char
The very fortunate me lives above 2 coffeeshops. Both zi char stalls from the coffeeshop sells very nice Ee Mee. Particularly the one just under my block, sells SUPER GOOD butter pork ribs. Not to even mention, the famous Jalan Kayu Master Prata, opened a stall just under my block too, managed by the son. Faved the Mutton Briyani and Egg Prata!!!!
Mummy's style Ee Mee
Find the differences between the 2 Ee Mee? One I can only see the Mee, one I can only see the ingredients. You know what's the best thing about my mum's cooking? She NEVER scrimps on the ingredients. Big prawns, big slices of fish, big slices of pork, sotongs and even the veggies are big!! Hahaha! She doesn't use thick and msg-filled stock to cook the gravy. Accordingly to her, the flavor from the gravy comes from stir-frying the ingredients. I dont think i can find any other Ee Mee as awesome as this!!!
These are just the tip of an iceberg, and I am not able list and show all the great food that my mum cooked in my entire life. There are a few dishes that she created just for the taste buds of my dad and mine. Me and dad shared really similar taste, sometimes mum does not eat what she cooked, but she cooked it just for us! I am a pampered daughter. I am a proud daughter.
I love you Mummy. Not for all the great food you cooked of course. Because you are my Mummy. And for you, today I cooked my own.
Happy Mother's Day to all Mummies!!
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