And suddenly, it's October.
Has it been three months since I left home already ? Sure doesn't feel like it.
Not so long ago, if you were to ask me if I liked it here, I would have said no, I didn't. I would have said I loved it better back in Malaysia, that I would rather be working again and sleeping in my own bed at home. I would have said I would rather brave the mad heat of my homeland than have the cold air of Switzerland. I would have told you no, my heart wasn't here. It was back there.
Then, something changed. I met some people.
I went on vacation with said people.
I grew to love the kitchen.
I saw sights and scenery that I really, really never imagined I'd get to see in my life.
I found cookbooks here that I never even dreamed of seeing. I found food that I never thought I'd ever taste. And then I grew to love this place. My heart is still back there. But I think little by little, Switzerland is growing on me. I actually found myself yearning for the calmness of Bouveret during my last day in Venice. But then again, it could have been because I was tired of walking around with luggage that probably weighed half as much as I did.
My holidays are almost over. In two days, I will be beginning the Fall term. After that, it is time for me to go to work - intern for half a year in this place. In fact, I've already begun to do research about places I'd like to work in. It's all rather confusing - and also a little frightening, having to decide everything by myself. Once, I'd ask my parents what they thought of me doing this or that. Now it's me and my laptop - or ipad - and then I decide and off I go. Which means I'm going to be held responsible for whatever I choose.
It's a lot to take in.
I have lived two decades. I've done stupid things and made silly mistakes. I've gotten into fights and accidents and I've seen things I wish I never saw. I've heard stories of the weird and wonderful and met some amazing people. And yet at the end of the day, when I can't sleep at night (which has happened once here, when I was recovering from a fever), the only person I want to see is my dad. What I'd give to be able to walk downstairs, steal a banana and sit and watch some stupid horror movies with him again.
Speaking of which, here is a picture of me old man. He dyed his eyebrows black prior to the picture being taken. Come on, you know it makes sense.
Sure, I can do that now. The bananas are on my table next to my bed. I can watch movies anytime I want. In fact, I can stay up all night if I chose to. But it's not the same. In fact I even miss his snoring - his snoring only, mind you. When we were five in a hotel room, three girls and two boys, I didn't sleep for two nights being kept up by my friend's snores. It was like trying to hug a train engine to sleep.
Also, if you were to ask me if I missed Malaysian food, I'd said no. Because, well, I don't. Ever since I got here and discovered cheese-pasta-cold meats-salads-European food, I fit in quite happily (and I am slowly getting more rotund as I speak). But if you were to ask me if I miss my mom's cooking... God, yes. Heck she could even cook plain rice and I'd eat it.
Which is my cue to show you this lemon chicken I cooked during Malaysia week last term.
(Oh, real smooth.)
I can't help it. My thoughts aren't being very coherent. I think I've been staring at my computer screen for too long...
Lemon Chicken
3kg chicken thighs, deboned
For the marinade:
20g soy sauce
5g pepper
4 eggs
30g castor sugar
30g cornflour
5g sesame oil
For the sauce:
400ml chicken stock
20g butter
50ml lemon juice
20g sugar
20g cornflour (to thicken)
Extra cornflour, to coat the chicken.
1. Clean the chicken and slice it into strips.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients, add the chicken, cover and refrigerate.
3. Prepare the chicken stock.
4. The next day, heat up the chicken stock and reduce it by half. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the cornflour) for the sauce, adjusting the amount of lemon juice or sugar to taste. Make sure it's sour/sweet enough !
5. Mix the cornflour for the sauce with a little bit of water, then add the slurry to the sauce and bring to the boil until thickened.
6. Add the extra cornflour to the chicken in the marinade to form a thick batter of sorts. Deep fry the chicken pieces until golden brown and crispy.
7. To serve, either pour the sauce over the chicken or toss the chicken in the sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and coriander leaves. Serve with rice.
Fragrant Rice
1kg short grain rice
3 stalks lemon grass
3 pandan leaves
Star anise, cloves
2 cups chicken stock
A big pinch of salt
1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. In a pot, add all the ingredients, then add enough water till it comes up to 2cm above the rice. Bring to the boil, stirring, then reduce the heat to a low simmer.
2. Cover the pot and let the rice cook until all the water has bee absorbed, around 15 minutes. Fluff up the rice with a fork and serve warm.
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