I think that most of us have a desire to cook at least ONE DISH well. Or be able to perfect a dish that somehow remains elusive, no matter how simple it is.
I’m not talking about the fancy recipe that supposedly separates the cook from the chef. Rather, it would be A Dish that speaks of many levels to the person who desires. It could be the art of making sushi for a sushi lover; properly frying fish for the housewife who is an expert in cooking fast yet filling meals; or learning the intricacies of a traditional family recipe handed down from one generation to the next.
Or it could be really basic, like mine.
Unless one is the uber princess in the “Princess and the Pea” story, cooking boiled egg should come as easy as say, boiling water, toasting bread or cooking rice.
Well, I can do water, bread and rice. Yet I’m afraid boiling The Egg is not easy-peasy at all.
So somewhat shamefully, I must admit that all these years I have been relying on the generosity (or commercial service) of others in order to give me the unbroken, uncracked, boiled-just-right kind of egg. (As a side note, that should also give you an idea of what happens when I’m the one boiling the egg).
Maybe it is a coming-of-age thing after all. But being capable of more complex cooking EXCEPT egg is like finishing a paragraph without a period. It feels vaguely incomplete, for some reason.
But all that has changed today.
Because today (surprisingly), I successfully boiled egg. Tasty and soft, without being runny nor rubbery in texture. It was just the way I liked it.
Granted, my father went out of his way to give me a step-by-step treatise on what to do. He even explained why the slightest change in the temperature can make a difference. It felt like I was relearning the basics.
So I’ve decided that I should look further into this boiling-egg business. If I can find ways in which to improve on what is normally such a simple thing, then it may help me ‘unlearn’ my presumptions and do better in front of the stove.
————-
(Photo of ’Princess and Pea’ courtesy of Muppet Wiki)
xtine
