Here on Beyond the Rhetoric, I’ve developed the habit of reviewing a lot of restaurants. In addition to all the eateries in and around the Vancouver area, I’ve also highlighted several from more exotic locations around the world. However, we haven’t been eating out nearly as much as we usually do these last couple of months, since we’re busy taking care of our newborn daughter. Instead, we’ve been cooking most of our meals at home.
And, as you may already know, one of the things that I do on Instagram is showcase a good deal of so-called “food porn.” Some dishes may be planned and others are far more improvised. In the case of the latter, I like to add the #kwanscreativecatering hashtag. This typically indicates that I just opened up the fridge (and cupboards), looked at what I had on hand, and whipped something together.
You see that jerk chicken with the garlic scapes, rice medley and yams at the top of this post? Yeah, I can’t take credit for it. That’s the result of Susanne’s culinary genius. The far humbler dishes you see below are my handiwork; there’s really no comparison.
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and, in the context of #kwanscreativecatering, it is oftentimes the simplest too. I really like my eggs. In this case, one slice of toast has some spicy salami under the sunny side up egg. The other gets some smeared avocado with the egg and both are topped with a little paprika for flavor. The “extra” avocado is placed on the side.
For lunch, I usually prefer something quick, simple and comforting. For the midday edition of #kwanscreativecatering one day, I put together a little “Asian fusion,” combining elements from several Asian cuisines. The Korean wheat noodles here are served in a Japanese miso broth with soy sprouts, Chinese fried tofu and Vietnamese beef balls.
This example of a #kwanscreativecatering dinner is perhaps one of the best illustrations of how I approach cooking. Just about every meal must contain a meat, a carb and a veggie. The somewhat random stir-fry above started out when I saw I had leftover red and jasmine rice from the night before.
Looking through my fridge, I also found charsiu ribs (which I took off the bone), more fried tofu, and enoki mushrooms. I also added a couple of scrambled eggs. (I told you I like eggs!) Realizing I was missing a green element to help brighten and lighten the dish, I tossed in some chopped chives.
In home cooking, as in business, you just have to work with what you have. Open your cupboard, have a look, and let your creativity guide the way.
Nice pictures Michael. The one thing I dislike is eating the food after making it look so pretty. But, then again its the satisfaction that I get when I see someone get that look on their face of total enjoyment or fulfillment when they eat something I have cooked.
Just to add, your daughter is going to hate everything you cook until she is a lot older. She will like Happy Pho better no matter what you feed her.