Over the summer, I finally got some time on my hand to do something I love–cooking. My creative soul finally awakened. Although sometimes I follow conventional recipes, I also enjoy inventing my own dishes as well. The creativity also lies in the plating, where different elements must harmonize on the same plate, without colors being too repetitive. A fun fact is that sometimes I take more time plating than cooking itself (but that rarely happens!).

I believe that home-cooked dinners can be casual yet abundant in flavor and looks. The following dishes are all typical dishes cooked for weekday lunches/dinners. Before I entered the culinary world, I used to believe that expensive ingredients are also a key changer when cooking. However, I soon found out that I was wrong. I started to go to traditional markets with my mom every Sunday morning, picking the meat, vegetables, and fruits for the week. (*side note: plastic bags are still extremely prevalent in these markets, so I want to change that myself…stay tuned for my journey of reducing plastic bags!)

Looking back, with several dishes yet undocumented, I become content with these dishes I cook for my family–not only because of the sense of independence but also for the love I want to showcase to them. It saddens me that I might not have as many chances to cook for them anymore once I leave the country next year (that is, if the coronavirus lets me). I, therefore, decided to seize every chance I got to cook for them these dishes, as well as to enjoy myself in the process.