On the last day of my 10 day catering gig, she came and gave me a tight hug and said: Thank you!
The truth is I should be the one to thank her. I wanted to tell her how grateful I am to see the strength of a woman facing pressing issues and her being positive a midst a difficult situation. Her dainty look, well kept hair and light make up, even her infectious laugh will never reveal her story. I saw her at church with her family, I saw her wake up in the early morning on a weekend to attend a 5k run. I saw her with her children, always with a smile. Such is the strength I've seen.
I was commissioned by her friends to cook for her and her family. For ten days, I found myself chopping, stirring pots, running around an unfamiliar kitchen, but I was extremely inspired. I can't believe how much joy I had cooking.
And yes, I am most grateful for being part of a group of friends stepping in to help a friend in need. And the song "that's what friends are for" played over and over in my head, while I cooked. I thought I was in my zone.
Seafood Kare-Kare Noodles (Seafood in Peanut Sauce Pasta)
This was one of the recipes I developed especially for the family. I took the familiar flavors of a traditional dish (Kare Kare) and tossed them with unfamiliar bedding.
Ingredients:
1/2 package rice stick noodles (you could also use linguine )
2 tbsp annatto oil (if you don't have the annatto oil, use cooking oil and add annatto powder as you saute)
1 package of seafood
1/2 block of firm tofu, cubed
1/2 block of firm tofu, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 c crushed peanuts
4 cups of shrimp stock (boil shrimp heads. Extract its flavor by pressing the heads)
cornstarch dispersed in water
Procedure:
Soak the noodles in a pan filled with water. Leave it for 30 minutes. If you are using linguine, please prepare it according to package instructions.
Sear the seafood on a pan. Using the same pan saute the garlic, onions and seafood with annatto oil. Sprinkle 1/2 a teaspoon of pepper. Stir fry for about 5 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Add peanut butter. Stir in tofu. Transfer half of the cooked seafood on a plate. Set aside. (the idea is not to overcook the seafood)
Using the same pan add shrimp stock. Let it boil. To thicken the sauce pour the cornstarch mixture. Add the noodles (do not add the water wherein the noodles were soaked in). Cook until al dente. Add the remaining seafood topping and give it a quick stir. Drizzle the sesame oil. Stir for another minute or two. Season with fish sauce. Sprinkle crushed peanuts.
