A Note On Recipes…

I have always loved reading recipes. It’s funny then that I rarely follow them. I don’t know if this is because I have been cooking for so long that I just kind of know how things should go or I just remember the recipes?plated curry rice blog

Sometimes I will start making something for tea and I don’t actually know what I am doing until it’s finished! Thankfully It always tastes ok.

I suppose I have learnt a lot of techniques and methods over the years which means I don’t have to rely on recipes so much.

A lot of people don’t prepare food at home, it seems to have become that ready meals or RTU (ready to use) sauces have become the mainstay of many homes.

I sometimes think that many people are afraid to cook, too scared to have a go. There is a generation of people that didn’t learn how to cook from there Mothers or Fathers and have relied on convenience foods simply because they don’t know what else to do.

I was lucky. I grew up with a family that food (and drink!) was an important part of life, something to be enjoyed and relished. Sitting at the table for tea was something that was done on a regular basis, not just for special occasions.

So what I’m trying to say is that I get into a lot of difficulty when someone says ‘Oooh that was nice, you must give me the recipe’.

I’m  there frantically trying to backtrack to remember what ingredients and amounts went into the dish because quite frankly there is no recipe!

At times you may look at a recipe on this Blog and think ‘ well that’s not much of a recipe’.

I think recipes should be a guide only. People need to learn to have confidence in there own abilities and judgement. I use a lot of garlic, onions and spices. For some people it might be too much. If you are not overly keen on garlic, add a bit less. It’s your food. I’m not going to be there tapping you on the shoulder saying ‘well you’ve done that wrthai cod loin blogong!’

I hope that people will look at the photos and recipes on this blog and be inspired to go out, buy some nice ingredients and have a go. You can keep it as basic as you want or you could really go to town and create something stunning.

Whatever you cook I can guarantee it will be tasty and enjoyable and far more satisfying than eating something that you have nuked in a microwave for six minutes.

4 comments

  1. I agree with the guideline thing, although been wondering about your views on fusion food?, i’m pretty much a traditionalist & am very much against it. People can do what the hell they like in their own kitchens though, but i saw somewhere this cook doing an Indian inspired pizza, i mean wtf!! If ya want India, have a roti & some daal cos basically that was all it has & Coriander shouldn’t go near a pizza by law!! 🙂

    1. Fusion Food… It has It’s place and if done right can be great. I don’t like it when it’s just done for the sake of it though. I have to agree with the pizza thing, although yes I have used leftover Keema and Chicken Tikka on pizzas I wouldn’t go out my way to make some Chicken Tikka to go on a pizza. In a nice pizza base, garlic and basil laden tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese topped with oregano you have a match made in heaven. Lets face it coriander just doesn’t work as well. I’d rather have a nice Paratha Roti stuffed with some spinach, paneer and coriander if I wanted to go down that route!

  2. You are right about the recipes but I think it is important to have a very good sense of smell, taste and an idea of the flavours to create our own recipes! Cooking and enjoying meals is a tradition that runs in my family too. When it came to giving recipes, particularly with my grandmother and mother, it was to put a pinch of that or this, which didn’t really fit as a measured recipe. As a result I never follow recipes in a strict order neither on terms of quantity or items. Instead I create an idea of the recipe’s intended flavour and aromas which I then adjust to my liking. So far it works perfectly for me but I guess this wouldn’t work in a restaurant where many of the same meals have to be made. I would just say that the one ingredient which you really have to measure is bicarbonate soda which as far as I know is used in desserts.

    1. Thank you for your response Claudia. It sound like you do what I do when I read a recipe which is get an idea in your head about how it should taste, look and smell and then go and recreate it.

      Bicarbonate of soda? I mainly use it for mushy peas!

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