The scent of chopped onions and aromatics filling the house, soft humming coming from the kitchen, the different colors of vegetables and meat filling plates— these subtle scenes that tingle the senses are some of the vague memories I remember from childhood. As I enter my house right after an active and eventful day at school, the smoke wafting from the simmering pot greets me, and its warmth reaches all the way to my chest.
It can be said that the scent of food is the scent of home.
Like that climactic scene in ‘Ratatouille’ where Anton Ego reminisces on his mom’s home-cooking at the first bite, food has the power to transport people to happier times—the joy a child feels when eating their favorite meal or the comfort soup brings on a rainy day shows that the food we eat is closely tied to how we feel, and consequently, how we grow.
Food is sustenance, that is a universal truth that all people understand. Having balanced meals ensures that people get all the nutrients they need to be energized for long days ahead. As a child, I had no consciousness of what nutrients were in the dishes I would eat, but I trusted that my parents did their very best to ensure I had balanced meals. Filipino food, after all, has a wide variety of dishes that mix the savory goodness of meat and the whole, filling wonder of vegetables in one masterpiece. Recipes like Sinigang na Baboy or Ginisang Monggo are some of my favorite home-cooked meals that are tried and true for giving people their needed fill of nutrients to take on the day. It wraps health, indulgence, and comfort all in one dish.
Now that I’ve grown older and am taking charge of my own meals, I realize the challenge that adulthood poses in balancing my diet. I hadn’t realized till now how hard it was to decide what to eat from the variety of foods that could be made. What makes it even more challenging is learning how to cook it!
In times like these, cookbooks are a godsend, just like Ma Rasah by Elvira Silla, a culinary treasure containing a mix of Filipino cuisine and recipes of dishes from all over the world. This cookbook provides its readers with the guidance to cook some of the most delicious, well-balanced dishes that you know and love, and those you may have always wanted to try. The cookbook provides over a hundred recipes that are divided by what exactly your stomach desires, be it the savory goodness of pork or beef, the freshness of seafood, the nourishment of vegetables, or even the satisfaction of snack and dessert cravings.
From the ingredients, instructions, and even the tools needed, this cookbook gives you all you need to go from rookie cook to master chef of your favorite foods.
With a cookbook in hand, you can be assured of making meals that bring joy to your loved ones and yourself. As for me, using cookbooks is one way I’ve learned how to rediscover my favorite foods since childhood. As kids, the food that the family makes for us becomes fond reminders of the care they put into making it, ensuring that it made us happy and gave us the nourishment we needed. Learning how to cook these dishes is my way of ensuring that their love carries on, and with the help of cookbooks, I can eventually give back the same joy through my own cooking.
Some say being happy about getting kitchenware or learning new recipes is a sign of aging, but I say that it’s a sign of growth.
By Keanah Angeli R. Andres