Bonding over the stove

I SPENT the majority of last year’s movement control order enforcement period binge-watching anime. Aside from that, I utilised my time learning new skills to add to my repertoire and these included cooking.

Love from the kitchen: Gurjit has his mother to thank for teaching him the ropes of cooking.

It started out with me attempting to become a vegetarian at the time. I didn’t want to burden my mother with making another meal just for me because my family eats meat. Hence, I learnt to cook, which is a highly valuable skill to have.

Determined to see out my plan, I asked our kitchen’s “lioness”, my mother, to teach me how to cook. My mother is, in my view, the best cook on the planet. She was reluctant at first but after seeing my eagerness to learn, she relented.

Potato curry was the first dish I learnt to whip up. I wasn’t a complete novice when it came to cooking as I had assisted my mother in the kitchen, but I was still inexperienced in knife handling and dish preparations.

My mother set out by teaching me how to properly hold and use a knife. My hand, however, trembled when I chopped the potato with the knife.

Upon noticing this, she gently took my hand in hers and guided me through the process, while advising me not to grasp the knife too tightly and to instead think of it as an extension of my arm. I got the hang of it after a few tries.Once we had prepared the ingredients, it’s time to cook. I poured a generous amount of oil in a heated pan before adding some cumin seeds, which splattered everywhere as soon as they came into contact with the oil.

Thankfully, my mother was there to instruct me to slow down the fire and continue sautéing the cumin seeds.

My mother cooks with the “agak-agak” method, which is a typical traditional Asian culinary technique. This is a method that does not have a set measurement and relies on feeling and estimation. I, on the other hand, adhere to strict recipe guidelines.

When it was time to add the spices, my mother showed me how to do it the “agak-agak” way.

My mother also taught me the importance of using all five of our senses while cooking. We use our sight to analyse the colour of the food; our sense of smell to detect the alluring aroma of spices and to keep our meals from burning; our sense of hearing to hear the sizzling sound; our sense of taste to evaluate the food’s flavour and texture and to determine whether anything further should be added; and our sense of touch to feel the softness and hardness of the food.

Cooking with my mother was a lot of fun for me. I also felt her affection and love for me when she was instructing and guiding me on the do’s and don’ts. We ate the potato curry dish heartily at the end of my cooking lesson; everyone in my family said it was tasty.

After a week of learning how to cook and cut things up properly, I asked my mother numerous questions about cooking to the point of annoying her.

When I was ready to cook unaccompanied, I opted to make spaghetti al pomodoro. It was a success as my mother, after taking a bite of it, acknowledged that it was done to perfection. It really made my day.

Cooking made me feel very relaxed and emancipated from the monotony of staying at home all day. I could also make adjustments to the dish to suit my taste, and use herbs and spices that I had never heard of. The world of spices is so vibrant, with each spice collaborating to create a delicious dish.

Aside from learning how to prepare new food, I realised how much my mother has done for me just from the kitchen through my journey as a budding cook.

She has endured getting scorched by oil and cut by a knife in order to provide for her children. I also realised how exhausting cooking can be for my mother after experiencing it myself.

Thank you, mum, for all that you have done for me! I promise to assist you in the kitchen as often as possible.

Gurjit, 16, a student in Pahang, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.

1. Look in today’s copy of the Sunday Star newspaper for a picture of a food, fruit or beverage. Can you describe it based on its effect on at least three of your five senses? When you’re done writing the descriptions, get an activity partner to guess the food you have chosen. For example:

It is red and round.

It gives a squishing sound when you squeeze it.

It is sweet and sometimes sour.

It has a smooth skin.

It is a ____ (Answer: tomato)

2. How familiar are you with kitchen utensils? With an activity partner, look through the words below. Then, take turns describing one of the tools without naming it. Have fun!

ladle, sieve, spatula, tongs, rolling pin, grater, whisk, wok, frying pan, chopping board

3. It is Mothers Day today. Using pictures and words from today’s newspaper, design a card for your mother. In your card, paste at least five adjectives from the newspaper that suit your mother’s personality. Be as creative as possible. When you are done, present the card to your mother and watch her face light up with a smile!

Since 1997, The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme has supported English language teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Through Star-NiE’s teacher and student workshops, annual contests and monthly English language resources for classroom use, participants of the programme reportedly showed marked interest in the language and progress in their proficiency. Now in its 25th year, Star-NiE is continuing its role of promoting the use of English language through a weekly activity page in StarEdu. These activities are suitable for use individually and in groups, at home and in the classroom, across varied proficiency levels. Parents and teachers are encouraged to work on the activities with their children and students. In addition, Star-NiE’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme will continue to be a platform for participants to hone and showcase their English language skills, as well as develop their journalistic interests and instincts. Follow our updates at facebook.com/niebrats. For Star-NiE enquiries, email [e-mail].