Recipes are mere templates...

"Anybody can cook...but only the fearless can be great" - Chef Auguste Gusteau, from Pixar's Ratatouille

When I first learnt how to cook I always tried to follow a recipe step by step, word by word and most of the time the result was edible. At first I was happy that my cooking turned out ok, but as the years gone by I started to feel that emptiness whenever I cook something just by merely following a recipe to the "T". Even when people gave me their approval on a dish that I cook straight from a recipe something was not right. Yes, I'm glad that people enjoy my cooking, but somehow it was less fulfilling.

"Hey Dendy, this dish is delicious..." one of my friends told me. "...where did you learn how to make it?"

"Thanks’..." I replied. "...I got the recipe from a cookbook that I just bought..."

You see, that just doesn't sound right to me anymore. Anybody who has enough cooking experience can follow a recipe and obtain a successful result and that's boring. So one day I started to play around with the recipes that I usually follow at home. Don't worry, no one was hurt or injured in the process...I use myself as a test subject.

All I can say is that there were some successful results and there were countless straight-to-the-bin results, but it somehow sharpens my cooking skill. Now I can proudly say that I often makeup recipes in my head...well...not really...how can I describe it? I open my fridge, see what's inside, I pick a few key ingredients and based on the ingredients I picture one or two dishes in my head. Then I imagined how the dishes would taste like and based on that I start to search for more ingredients in the fridge, the pantry or the spice rack. Based on what I can find I make some adjustments and starts to think what would go with the dishes. Maybe rice, potatoes or noodles. Once I get a global idea of the whole meal I start to cook.

If you think it sounds like bachelor cooking to you, where you can just throw in anything that you can find, maybe you're right. But then again this blog is about food and how to make it simple. Nothing is much simpler than a bachelor cooking, plus...I'm married and someone already took the title "Bachelor Cooking" so I can't use it for my blog. :-D

Anyways, cooking for me does not only come from my heart, it also comes from my stomach. There is nothing wrong in following a recipe to the "T", I started that way...it's just that now a recipe for me is just a mere template that can be modified following my heart and my cravings.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and order the same dish that you had, let's say a week ago, and have a feeling that something is missing or something is different in the taste, the smell or the texture? It's the same restaurant, the dish was cooked by the same cook, so why is it different?

In my humble opinion, recipes are there to show and remind us how to cook a dish, but you will not be able to recreate the same dish twice with exactly the same taste, that is impossible. Our five senses are not built to distinguish each and every taste, smell and texture that we experience when we eat or drink to be able to determine if a dish is exactly the same taste as the one that we had before. We can somehow remember the taste, smell and texture but to tell 100% if a dish has the same taste as the one that we had before that's not possible. We may think that it tastes the same, but I believe it's because the taste of the dish satisfies our cravings at that moment. But, sometimes you may find yourself reaching for the salt or pepper shaker, or some other condiments available within your reach after you had your first bite of your favorite dish from a restaurant that you frequently visit. Why? Because, as I said, a recipe is a mere template. You can modify it all you want to suit your cravings.


A couple of years back I invited friends and family for a barbecue party and my sister said something that went straight to my heart...

"Dendy, your burgers taste like Asian burgers..." she said.

"Really…?" I asked not knowing if the comment was supposed to be an insult or a compliment.

"Yeah, it’s good...it's different..." my sister replied.

We were all laughing, but deep inside me I was jumping for joy. Until today I still don't know if it was an insult or a compliment, but I decided to take it as a compliment.

For me they were just burgers grilled on a simple charcoal grill. Yes, I made a simple adjustment when I prepared the buger patty mix by adding a few extra ingredients than what you usually put in a burger patty mix. But yet, "It's good...it's different..." those words kept ringing in my head. Those words are the kind of words that I wanted to hear. When I looked around, people were enjoying themselves, eating my Asian burgers and kept coming back for more...that gave me an indescribable satisfaction. I created something that people enjoy and it didn't come from any cookbook or recipe that I followed. I created it and...it's different!

And as usual, I didn't write down the recipe! I still remember how those Asian burgers tasted. So, I'll try to recreate it and post the recipe soon for you brave souls out there who dare to try it out. It won't be 100% the same I'm sure, but until then...keep it simple...keep it good!