Life is Great

The Delicious Appreciations of Pick Yin

Not exactly predictable.
Has enough brains for codes
(but can be completely clueless on other more important matters).
Likes her Joe (and her man?) black, her chocolate dark and her food spicy.
“Quam bene vivas refert, non quam diu.” — Seneca

Total Posts   191      Last Updated   23 November 2015 12:00 PM (GMT +8)

Wednesday, August 08, 2012


Waking Up



It's still dark outside.

I wake up, rub my eyes and make sure I don't fall on my groggy way to the bathroom. Freshened up (barely), I switch on the kitchen lights, down a glass of water and turn on the electric kettle. Two pots find their way onto the hob, the chopping board ready to go with a small paring knife.

It's still dark outside, a bit too early for the chef’s knife.

tom yum kai


From the fridge I retrieve a pack of tom yum pack (lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, birds eye chilies, galangal, a shallot and one big lime), my precious jar of homemade paste, some leftover Chinese poached chicken, coconut milk, a bunch of coriander and one egg. With the help of a trusty step bench, a can of straw mushrooms I suddenly remember owning is unearthed from the lost depth of my top most pantry shelf. I check the expiry date.

The egg boils for one minute, while the aromatics and mushrooms are prepped. I turn the heat off, cover the pot and set the timer for 8 minutes. I double check that the timer is started.

The other pot heats up some oil. I dig into the jar and sighed heavily. Only one more serving of paste will be left after this round. A heaped tablespoon of red paste makes friends with those aromatics, just for a short moment. Next goes chicken stock just enough for one, and a few dollops of heart-stopping coconut milk. In no time the concoction starts to boil. The mushrooms, a squeeze of lime and some torn coriander complete the orange, menacing broth.

The timer beeps sharply, I wake up for the second time.

A lump of dried shrimp noodle goes into the pot where the egg had been. I fiddle with the wobbly soft boiled egg out of its shell, trying not to put a hole into it. I drain the noodles, grab the biggest bowl I own and start the plating sequence.

Noodles (to one side).
Broth (around).
Chicken (next to noodles).
Egg halves (in the center, but not quite).
Garnish (fill in the blanks).

The sides of the bowl get a wipe down, then the hob and counter. Dirty pots soak in the sink. Satisfied, I find a suitable parking spot. With a pair of chopsticks, a soup spoon and my current favorite magazine, I dig in.

I finally wake up.

posted by PickYin @ 8/08/2012 03:03:00 PM

11 Comments on Waking Up

Where is the 'like' button?!

Posted by Anonymous Mrs Ergül, at Aug 8, 2012, 5:03:00 PM  

Where is the love button?

Posted by Anonymous Anonymous, at Aug 8, 2012, 6:26:00 PM  

you know one day we should do morning meal together.

My day starts almost the same way :)

Posted by Blogger Anh, at Aug 8, 2012, 6:51:00 PM  

living in the states, i forget that noodle soups can be breakfast fare too. i need to incorporate this into my weekend mornings, push aside the usual suspect of eggs, hash & toast....

Posted by Blogger Angry Asian, at Aug 8, 2012, 9:44:00 PM  

This is beautiful Pickyin. I have bookmarked your Tom Yam Kung recipe to play around with. Cheers!

Posted by Anonymous Sneh | Cook Republic, at Aug 9, 2012, 7:39:00 AM  

nothing like a tom yum to instantly perk you and your senses up!

Posted by Blogger Janine, at Aug 9, 2012, 10:04:00 AM  

Yum!! Great post. Have linked it to my latest post too... :)

Posted by Blogger  maria, at Aug 10, 2012, 8:56:00 AM  

Mrs Ergül and BakeAnything: You girls are adorable. :D

Anh: I look forward to the day. ;) I wish all my days start like this though.

Lan: I can only do eggs on toast 2 days a week max. Am so Asian I don't know how I'll survive if we move away from here.

Sneh: Thank you. The recipe from my friend is awesome.

Janine: True that. Now it's time to whip up a few more jars of paste. *groan*

shade of whim: Thank you!

Posted by Blogger PickYin, at Aug 13, 2012, 9:59:00 AM  

This puts my breakfast efforts to shame ....*inspired *

Posted by Anonymous lina_to_u, at Aug 20, 2012, 5:45:00 AM  

This puts my breakfast efforts to shame ....*inspired *

Posted by Anonymous lina_to_u, at Aug 20, 2012, 5:45:00 AM  

Lina: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!! :D

Posted by Blogger PickYin, at Aug 27, 2012, 9:49:00 AM  


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