MCO - Day 14

31 March 2020     Day 14 of Movement Control Order

        My fingers are smarting as I type this! It’s the consequence of handling cili padi. Arghh! This is definitely a labour of love. Hubby loves his food really spicy and always requests for extra kick. Hence, for today’s chicken curry, I have to throw in some cili padi for good measure. I dished out my portion of the chicken curry before I added the fiery sticks into the curry. If I don’t do that, eating that curry dish would be an ordeal to me!

       As hubby had bought quite a big cauliflower the other day, I was compelled to divide into half. Hence, I’m cooking cauliflower again. I know I said I would try to serve non-repetitive dishes during the MCO. Well, I cheated a little. The other day, the cauliflower was fried with meat slices and mushrooms. Today I fried it with prawns. So can that count as non-repetitive? 🤔

One for me and one for hubby

Stir-fried cauliflower with prawns

MCO - Day 13

30 March 2020     Day 13 of Movement Control Order

        Today’s the penultimate day of Phase 1 of the MCO. Is the curve flattening? There are still more than 150 new cases detected today, but at least, it’s not a terribly big spike. And the nation had a glimmer  of hope as there were 91 cases discharged, which is the highest number of recoveries in a day.
        
        For a change, I served my Cina Ah Pek a Western meal today, an Italian meal to be precise. Thinking wistfully of all the Italian towns and cities that I’ve visited and wondering when I can play tour guide there to hubby. Praying too for all those who are down with Covid-19 in Italy.

Spaghetti bolognese with cream of chicken and corn soup

MCO - Day 12

29 March 2020     Day 12 of Movement Control Order

        As he’s not working today, my hero went grocery shopping at Jaya Grocer. He was given a longer shopping list this time around. Not only did he come home with every single item on the list (apart from bread again, which was once more not available), he also bought his wife’s favourite Nabisco Chicken Biscuits to bring a broad smile to her face. Later in the afternoon, he single-handedly assembled a shoe cabinet that we had bought from Ikea months ago. And finally, he took an active part in preparing tonight’s dinner. He fried the two pieces of red snapper! I shun frying fish because I am a coward where sizzling and splattering oil is concerned, and my hero would always come to my rescue. I then finished up the rest of the meal preparation.

Hot oil therapy for Mr and Mrs Red Snapper

Mr and Mrs Red Snapper in Plum Sauce

Stir-fried cauliflower with mushroom and meat slices

MCO - Day 11

28 March 2020     Day 11 of Movement Control Order

        After staying cooped up in the house for so many days, life has become colourless, hence the colour of today’s cooking :

Steamed chicken with garlic, ginger and spring onion

Stir-fried cabbage with prawns

        Jokes aside...it was just a coincidence that today’s dishes are a tad less coloured. But to be serious, my mood had taken a damper yesterday (hence the ultra short post, if you had noticed). Just the depressing thought that it’s a global health crisis, without much signs of improvement (apart from China), the panic buying that’s going on everywhere, the extended isolation, the worry about work to catch up with my students when we return to school, the question of when I can freely go out to resume my life...now I understand how easy it is to spiral into depression!
        Fortunately, I was reminded to turn to our Lord for spiritual food. I found solace in His words and I have cheered up a little.

MCO - Day 10

27 March 2020     Day 10 of Movement Control Order

        Meatless Friday. So today I dished up fish patties and ABC soup.

In addition to fish patties, I had some prawn siumai so I fried them too

ABC soup made with corn, big onion, tomatoes, carrot and potatoes

MCO - Day 9

26 March 2020     Day 9 of Movement Control Order

        Although I am a fried rice aficionado, I have never tried making pineapple fried rice myself. Seeing that there’s pineapple in the refrigerator and wanting to maximise what’s available at home, I proposed the idea of making pineapple fried rice to hubby and he was eager to try.
        So, making do with what’s at hand (not venturing out to buy, in line with the MCO), this is my version of pineapple fried rice : 

        As hubby loves his lotus root soup (and I was worried that a mere platter of fried rice would be too dry for him), I also had that to go with our pineapple fried rice : 

MCO - Day 8

25 March 2020     Day 8 of Movement Control Order

        After two evenings of rain, we were blessed with a clear blue sky this morning. Before the heavy rain descended on Monday, the haze was starting to make its appearance...arghh...please, not the haze! We already have our hands full with the Coronavirus.
        In today's early afternoon news, when our Prime Minister announced that the MCO will be extended till 14 April, there were mixed reactions but I would say it is a wise move. However, I now wonder how am I going to cook another 14 non-repeated dinners? 🤔
        Today, I tried a new recipe that I had been itching to cook. After my mum shared this recipe of Marion Grasby’s, I knew it would be a hit with hubby. But I had run out of one of the key ingredients and I just did not have the time to get it. So I was waiting for the March break to do my shopping. Fortunately, I  managed to get the Shaoxing wine just before the MCO started.
        The Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and soya sauce...these are the three main ingredients that make up the Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken. Another ingredient is the Thai basil leaves, which hubby is not partial to. Therefore, I left them out. Hence, I cooked Tweaked Three Cup Chicken 😂

Tweaked Three Cup Chicken

Stir-fried lady’s fingers 

        Hubby’s verdict? “Very aromatic, very tasty!” He enjoyed the simple stir-fried lady’s fingers too. After all, he was the one who grabbed them from the vegetable stall whilst I was queuing up for the pork the other day.

MCO - Day 7

24 March 2020     Day 7 of Movement Control Order

        We are halfway through! 7 days down, 7 more to go. Hopefully, this Movement Control Order period does not require an extension.
        When I took out the minced pork for defrosting, I had a different dish in mind. However, I stole a look at the breadcrumbs that hubby managed to get for me from Jaya Grocer, and I had a brainwave. It's a dish that I had cooked for hubby some time back, and he had enjoyed it. But it's not regularly featured in my kitchen. Since I had time on my hands today, I thought, "Why not?"
        Well, here's what we had for dinner today :

Golden Balls of Prosperity 

Radish soup

MCO - Day 6

23 March 2020     Day 6 of Movement Control Order

        It rained, it finally rained in Ipoh! There was thunderstorm in the evening, just when I was about to start on my yoga practice. And it was sheer bliss to do the downward dog as well as other moves in the slightly cooler weather. For the final pose of savasana, I'm supposed to relax, clear my mind of other thoughts and just focus on my breathing. But today, I kept delighting in the pitter patter sounds of the rain.
        Nonetheless, I was relaxed and in a lighter mood as I started to cook dinner after that. Today's kitchen activity :

Braised pork ribs in black bean and taucu sauce

Stir fried luffa with prawns

MCO - Day 5

22 March 2020     Day 5 of Movement Control Order        

        A new directive for this period of MCO dictates that, starting from today, only one person, which is the head of the family, is allowed to leave the house to get basic necessities or medication. It was quite a laugh to read many posts on Facebook about husbands' 101 questions on what exactly to buy after being sent out shopping.  As today's Sunday and hubby does not need to work, he had to see to the supermarket shopping (for dairy products, etc.). I had also instructed him to pick up a few other items. True enough, there were pictures and messages sent over WhatsApp to enquire if he was on the right track. 😅
        However, a shout out should be given to hubby dearest, who soldiered on well, especially when solo supermarket shopping is not his forte. He did not leave out a single item on the shopping list (except for bread, which was still not available), swept through the aisles fast and remembered to physically distance himself from other shoppers.
        And for the rest of the day, he was kept busy, preparing some paperwork for the current health crisis.
        For dinner, he was served :

Pongteh chicken

Stir-fried broccoli with prawns

        Pongteh chicken is a classic Nyonya dish that simply means chicken and potato stew. It actually is a non-spicy dish, but my mum has always thrown in a couple of dried chillies. As hubby enjoys spicy food, I cannot omit them either.

MCO - Day 4

21 March 2020     Day 4 of Movement Control Order

        Lazy Saturday. I was curled up with a book for the most part of the day, giving myself a good rest after decluttering and cleaning the house for the past few days.
        We had a hearty breakfast bought from our favourite hawker after I braved a 45-minute long queue for pork at the market. As we are usually not in the habit of having lunch on weekends, I did not prepare anything. But we suddenly felt peckish and hubby volunteered to make Bombay toast for us. 
        "Bombay toast? What's that?" I was eager to know.
        "Ah! You wait and see," he replied. He then went out to get bread from the local grocery shop but returned empty-handed. Bread at the local grocery shop as well as at the neighbourhood mamak shop had all been snapped up! As his wife had urged him not to venture far, he obediently came home minus the bread.
        So we rummaged through the larder to find something quick and easy to whip up. And we did! 

This was what Chef Derrick cooked for lunch.

     

Fried spinach ramen with tuna in chilli oil, accompanied by a fluffy omelette

           It turned out to be an egg affair day as the dinner menu that I had planned also featured eggs! No complaints from hubby, who is used to gobbling down 10 to 15 half-boiled eggs per day, in an attempt to build muscle.

Egg and minced meat patties

        

Otak-otak ordered from my dear friend

Hairy gourd soup with meat balls

        However, my desire in tasting hubby's Bombay toast has not been satisfied. He has promised to make them for me after we get our hands on some bread.

MCO - Day 3

20 March 2020     Day 3 of Movement Control Order

        Even before the MCO came into effect, Catholic churches had decided to suspend all Masses, bearing in mind the increase of COVID-19 cases. I experienced "attending" Mass via live streaming last Sunday. It felt odd not being able to celebrate Mass in church, especially during the holy season of Lent. But we will adapt and do what is necessary, in an effort to win this war.
        As today's Friday, I try to cling on to a tiny sacrifice for Lent, and that is to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Unsuspecting hubby also had to practise this, as today's dinner was meatless. 😉
        On the table for dinner :

Naked Hakka tofu

Hakka tofu garnished with fried shallots

Naked siew pak choy

Siew pak choy dressed up with fried garlic

        I sometimes make Hakka tofu with a mixture of fish paste and marinated minced pork, but for today, I used solely fish paste. Hubby was so busy enjoying his dinner whilst updating me on the cases he treated for the day that he did not realise that it was a platter of Hakka tofu sans pork. 😆

MCO - Day 2

19 March 2020     Day 2 of Movement Control Order

        Today's Thursday, the day that hubby usually conducts his zumba class for his staff at the hospital. But that has been cancelled for this period of MCO. Hubby came home straight from work and proceeded to pump some iron with some dumbbells and press bench, which we had rushed out to buy on Tuesday. This MCO has also put our gym routine on hold, thus we had to set up our mini home gym.
        So while hubby huffed and puffed, this dutiful wifey cooked today's dinner.
        Ta-da! After sweating it out, hubby was rewarded with the following :

Pesto chicken

Steamed brinjals with lots of fried shallots

MCO - Day 1

18 March 2020     Day 1 of Movement Control Order

      In a bid to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, our Prime Minister announced the nationwide implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) from 18 to 31 March 2020. One of the implications of this MCO is no eating out, which means occasional cooks like yours truly have to summon up culinary strategies to whip up 14 dinners, preferably non-repetitive. I guess I'm luckier than many others, who have to rack their brains to think of 14 breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and possibly tea breaks. The reason for this is darling hubby is one of the many medical personnel who still have to stand on the front line and put themselves at risk of getting infected by the Coronavirus, while the rest of us stay safe at home.

        This period of MCO is indeed momentous and historic in the history of mankind. So my small gesture to remind myself of this period is to blog about the 14 dinners that I'm going to cook.

        Today's dinner consisted of fried nam yu pork belly and stir-fried French beans. The pork belly had actually been bought last Saturday, before we had any inkling of this restricted movement decree. It was the start of the one-week school break and I thought I would cook something that hubby loves very much. If I had attempted to get the pork belly from the wet market yesterday, I would have failed miserably as the queue was super long!

Fried nam yu pork belly (some were used to be eaten with my noodles for  the next day's lunch)

Stir-fried French beans

Long but orderly queue for pork at the Canning Garden market

Horrendous queue just to go up the escalator at Tesco Ipoh Garden