Growing up in an Indonesian old-fashioned family (working father & stay at home mom), I didn’t bother in cooking. I took my meals for granted. My mom cooked for me. After she passed away 5 years ago (miss you, mom :*), my beloved father cooked by himself to assure the kids (okay, we’re not kids anymore) have our meals. Can you imagine my old man in the kitchen, with a pan frying that yummy-chicken? I bet you can’t!
I thank my parents for not letting can opener become our most used kitchen implement. They seldom use those canned food. It’s an easy thing in Indonesia, people who sells vegetables all around the house. They shout out loudly “SAYUUUR!”. You have to call them as soon as possible as they yell and walk in the similar beat: high tense!
😀
I learn how to cook properly by repetition and execution. I did searching recipes, asked my friends, found out type of vegetables and so on. I’m more than happy to serve a healthy meals for my husband (and my future kids). Though I might guarantee that my tiny kitchen will look like a bomb went off. Almost every pot, every bowl and every spoon are used. Tho I wasn’t all my ears (sorry, mom), I remember one golden rule mom taught me : garlic is the key. You can never go wrong with that spice.
One day, I wandered into a local supermarket and decided to cook sayur bening, an Indonesian fresh soup with corn and spinach. Considering me as newbie in cooking, I think I can be forgiven for making a mistake distinguish between spinach and another vegetables named pohpohan. Pohpohan is a kind of vegetables that usually eaten raw. It’s a common vegetables in Sundanese. The problem is: I intend to cook using spinach instead of pohpohan *facepalm*. Too bad my mistakenly-spinach-soup is not as tasty as real-spinach. Sundanese are damn right! They’re better eaten raw. These two look alike yet different. Getting confused? Here these pics!
left: spinach.. right: pohpohan
OK OK, you might say that they’re different. How if you find this way?
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