It's been a while since I am visiting my cooking lab. These days, I don't have the desire to cook something, and there are not many ingredients that I can cook at home. But a few days ago, to spark my appetite for cookery, I ordered a new set of knives. I usually use my mother's old knives which is somewhat worn. I was surprised to find that the knives cost 2$. It is not an authentic chef's knives, but I suppose it will do the job. I was impressed with how it looks, especially given the price of the knives was relatively inexpensive. But does inexpensive means low-quality? Let's find out!
A set of this no brand knives consists of five pieces. The knives are one small cleaver, one chef knife, one paring knife, ceramic peeler, and a serrated cutter. There are three colours available, but I chose the black one to make it look more elegant despite only 2$.
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I did not have any expectations when I first ordered it. Nevertheless, I was quite astonished when it arrived. The handle and the material look impeccable. The stainless steel is coated in a marble-like pattern, making it look expensive. My grandma was asking me whose knives were they and I said that was mine. She must have thought that it cost a lot.
Immediately, I cleaned the knives with warm water and rinsed it thoroughly. I also cleaned it with a liquid of dishwasher soap. After that, I drained the knives. As soon as it was dry, I started testing it by cutting a half pumpkin. It was tough using the small cleaver. So I suppose these knives need to be sharpened by me. After that, I decided to cut my pumpkin into huge chunks.
I bought the pumpkin last week. It was left untouched because I don't know what to make from it. I thought about making soup, making cheesy pumpkin but all of the recipes seem to have complicated ingredients. Best I can do is making a pumpkin soup but it needs a blender. Since I don't have a blender with me, I was discouraged last week. But today, I finally decided to make something from it. Fuck blender, I am going to utilize things in my current cooking lab. If I can use a magic rice cooker for cooking anything, why can't I use a mixer to smoothen the texture?
| Serving | Ready in | Cooking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 3 people | 60 minutes | ⭐️(easy) |
Ingredients
- a half pumpkin
- 60ml coconut milk
- 2 tbsp butter
- two slices of cheddar cheese
- One vermicelli
- 1 tsp salt
- 1tsp turmeric
- 1tsp turmeric
- Blackpepper as desired
Directions
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Making the Cheesy Pumpkin Sauce
- Boil the pumpkin until it soften.
- Mash the pumpkin.
- Put into a mixer bowl. Add the coconut milk,two slices of cheese and butter
- Mix them well.
- Heat the skillet and pour the mixture into it. Add salt, cinnamon, turmeric, a bit of blackpepper.
- Cook until it boils.
- Turn off the stove and let it cool.
Making The Cheesy Vermicelli
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- Boil the vermicelli for 2 minutes.
- Drain them and wait until it gets slightly cold.
- Put the skillet with sauce in a low heat stove.
- Add the vermicelli on the sauce.
- Mix them well.
- Serve while hot.
Note from Mac
I think it would have been better if there was pasta. But since there is no pasta in the pantry, I use whatever I can find in the pantry. It proves that cooking a gourmet meal does not have to be costly nor complicated. Especially these days when the economy tough and you need to stretch the budget, sometimes you have to be creative in finding ways to spice up your meal. Even when life is miserable, your meal doesn't have to be.
My problem with most recipes I found on youtube and the internet, in general, is always involving complicated and unaffordable ingredients. Though the title is saying easy, simple, and affordable, it is not. It may be affordable for specific households, but most recipes out there are not affordable for mid to lower-income families.
I survive my college life without eating excessive instant noodle because I know how to utilize cheap ingredients into something yummy. I also spent less when I cook, and I ate better than when I did takeaways. Even then, I was cooking with my rice cooker. Now, my life is improving because I can cook with an actual stove and with proper fire.
I want to keep refining my cooking skills, particularly by using inexpensive ingredients and making it a gourmet meal. It is easy to make a gourmet level food from fancy ingredients but making it from restricted ingredient, and cheaper choices is a challenge. So, if you look for a low-cost but delicious meal, my recipes are where you should check.
