Nunc Est Coquendum (Now is the time to cook)!
This is borrowed from one of the most famous quotations in the Latin literature – “Nunc est bibendum” (“Now is the time to drink”), which is the first line of one of the poems of The Odes and Carmen Saeculare written by Horace (Book I, Poem XXXVII). It was a poem of triumph over the defeat and death of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt in 30 B.C.
Now is the time to cook! It is the time to celebrate and enjoy good food (and a few drinks) with family and friends around.
Cooking is one of life’s great pleasures. It is a joy to have those special conversations with the butchers, fishmongers and the people in the grocery shops, sourcing the best ingredients for cooking. I love the blissful moments of the Maillard reactions which are responsible for the aroma, the browned texture and complex flavours of charred steaks and toasted breads. I still remember the first time that I made mayonnaise at home. I was excited by the emulsification of oil and water, using egg as an emulsifier, which turned the mixture into something completely different. The taste was, of course, a cut above what you could buy in the supermarket. Cooking should not be considered as a duty or a complex matter. We should enjoy cooking everyday. Simple, easy meals could be comforting and satisfying.
My aim of developing this website is to share the joy of cooking with everyone. It is a collection of recipes that I have cooked at home, including those that I have learned from wherever I travelled. I have always wanted to know how food is prepared and enjoyed everywhere in the world. I have tried to be as authentic as possible in writing the recipes, although there are times that I want to be creative. I have also included a number of Chinese recipes. I have a special affection for Chinese cuisine as I came from Hong Kong. Food is a significant part of our family life. I hope I would be able to share with everyone some of the classic dishes of China.
There are many opinions about cooking, even the simplest dishes. It requires some reading and research to understand the different approaches. But I have tried to use methods which are based on the fundamental principles of cooking and which produce good results in my experience. I have also included a section “The Forgotten Skills“. I hope many people can benefit from learning some of the basic cooking skills which have been forgotten or lost over the years. In this section, I shall explain how we could cook better and also the rationale which underpins the techniques of cooking. Revisiting the forgotten skills of cooking will not only increase our enjoyment of food, but also helps us to reconnect with the older generations.
Since we use different tools in cooking, the amount of cooking ingredients suggested in the recipes may require some adjustments. There are times that I do not provide precise measurements of some ingredients such as salt. How much salt to use is often an individual preference. It is important to add salt incrementally and taste with each addition to determine the right amount. But there must be sufficient salt to “unlock” the flavour and get you that “zing”!
The recipes emphasise the use of good ingredients. They should be considered as an illustration of some of the major concepts which allow us to further develop our own cooking style, although there are times that we need to consider the practice and culture of cooking from which the dish originates. We should not feel that there is only one perfect version of a dish. The photographs that I have included with the recipes simply shows how the dish may finally look like, but I strongly encourage you to experiment and develop your own style.
Anyone can cook anything, and with a little effort, make it superbly delicious. Enjoy!
About Me
Raymond Lee
Raymond is a full-time academic with a PhD in biomedical engineering. He spends most of his time on academic work, research and scientific writings. He is a keen cook at home, researching into every aspects of cooking, from finding the right kitchen tools and the freshest ingredients to the development of recipes which are based on sound culinary skills and scientific principles. He enjoys travelling, and reading about food and cooking in different parts of the world. He is the author and photographer of this website. Based in Brighton, UK.
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