I never saw myself as someone who liked to cook. It has always felt like a chore that I only had to do when my mom wasn’t there to cook for me. I believed for the longest time that I was the type of person who could burn water. For so many years, my mom has tried to get me to cook with her during family parties and breaks. I always hated the process of preparing the ingredients, cooking the food, and washing the gigantic load of dishes.
When the lockdown happened, my parents, like most people, bought large amounts of food and drinks for our house. My mom is the only person who cooks in our family, but she is also the only person that has to go to work. I thought that I could live off of microwavable foods, but I started to feel sick and really unhealthy eating the same things everyday.
One of the things that pushed me to cook was TikTok. While I was on TikTok, I saw what other people were doing with their free time. I saw them trying new foods and posting their favorite recipes online. Since I was so desperate to eat food that didn’t come from a package, I decided to make one of these recipes.
The first recipe that I tried was dalgona coffee. I know that it’s a drink, but I wanted to do something that was easy to make and fool proof. To make dalgona coffee, you only need equal parts of instant coffee, sugar, and hot water. After you add all of those things in a bowl, you need to stir the mixture until it becomes a caramel color and has stiff peaks. You serve the whipped coffee over any kind of milk and ice.
I was very proud of myself for making this drink because I had to mix it by hand and it took me 30 minutes to get the texture I wanted. After I drank it, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t the best because I made it myself and had fun doing it.
A few days after I made the coffee, I kept finding myself looking for more recipes to attempt. I even volunteered to cook dinner with my mom which made her very happy. We made a Lao soup called Khao Piek Sien. It’s chicken based soup with hand cut noodles. I was happy to spend time with her and learn more about my culture.
Next, I want to dabble in some baking, like mug cakes and bread. I want to start by baking mug cakes because it’s an easy start and something I can practice often. Eventually, I want to try baking something more complex like bread and macaroons.
I’m very happy that this lockdown has given me more time to tend to my hobbies and make better habits for myself. It’s been two weeks since I have started cooking for myself, and I plan to continue cooking even after this quarantine is over.
When the lockdown happened, my parents, like most people, bought large amounts of food and drinks for our house. My mom is the only person who cooks in our family, but she is also the only person that has to go to work. I thought that I could live off of microwavable foods, but I started to feel sick and really unhealthy eating the same things everyday.
One of the things that pushed me to cook was TikTok. While I was on TikTok, I saw what other people were doing with their free time. I saw them trying new foods and posting their favorite recipes online. Since I was so desperate to eat food that didn’t come from a package, I decided to make one of these recipes.
The first recipe that I tried was dalgona coffee. I know that it’s a drink, but I wanted to do something that was easy to make and fool proof. To make dalgona coffee, you only need equal parts of instant coffee, sugar, and hot water. After you add all of those things in a bowl, you need to stir the mixture until it becomes a caramel color and has stiff peaks. You serve the whipped coffee over any kind of milk and ice.
I was very proud of myself for making this drink because I had to mix it by hand and it took me 30 minutes to get the texture I wanted. After I drank it, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t the best because I made it myself and had fun doing it.
A few days after I made the coffee, I kept finding myself looking for more recipes to attempt. I even volunteered to cook dinner with my mom which made her very happy. We made a Lao soup called Khao Piek Sien. It’s chicken based soup with hand cut noodles. I was happy to spend time with her and learn more about my culture.
Next, I want to dabble in some baking, like mug cakes and bread. I want to start by baking mug cakes because it’s an easy start and something I can practice often. Eventually, I want to try baking something more complex like bread and macaroons.
I’m very happy that this lockdown has given me more time to tend to my hobbies and make better habits for myself. It’s been two weeks since I have started cooking for myself, and I plan to continue cooking even after this quarantine is over.