Home is where the heart(h) is, and 004 – Roasted broccoli

08Mar08

One of the things I love about coming home for a visit is the chance to cook with my mum. She’s a wonderful cook, making hearty, healthy meals full of love. She isn’t afraid to try a new ingredient, technique or combination of flavours, and is always collecting recipes.  She’ll accommodate anyone’s needs, and is always open to including others in our family dinners.

You’d think that I would be a great cook, having always watched her make meals for us. Some of our best chats have come while she’s been cooking, and I’ve sat at our kitchen island, chopping or measuring ingredients for her.

Not so much. I can cook decently, I suppose – I’ve only given myself food poisoning once (a bad smoothie a year and a half ago), and never had a complaint from Adam. But I can’t cook like my mum – not even close! She has such knowledge of how to move around kitchen gadgets, how to combine flavours, and make a meal that will feel good in body and soul.

But as I continue to come home, time and time again, and we choose recipes for meals together, and I do what I can to help, I learn slowly. We’ll try something new with something tried and true – tonight’s dinner was a much-used recipe for potstickers, with a side of Kalyn’s roasted broccoli.  The potstickers were tasty, as always, and the broccoli was a delightful surprise, rich and sweet and savoury and warm. A whole new way of cooking and tasting broccoli!

Tonight I was lucky and had a huge success with the broccoli. I know I’ll have more successes (and failures!) both at home with Adam and at home with my parents. I’ll keep trying and learning on my own, but nothing will compare to learning by watching and working with my mum. I just hope that one day, I can provide for my family as well as she has and does for our family.

Filed under: Asian-inspired, Sides, Vegetables: Broccoli   |  Leave a Comment