Other people's recipes – Kandy Shepherd

Do you have his/hers/theirs recipes in your house? I love cooking, it’s a hobby as much as a household necessity. My husband is a good cook. He says that’s only because he can read a recipe but it’s more than that. When I was in my day job, often working long hours, he did more cooking than I did. Husband tends to specialise in stir-fries and omelettes. He never, ever bakes—wouldn’t dare, he says. I love baking probably best of all!

I like baking and trying new recipes! This decadent treat is German Chocolate Cake from the Joy of Baking website

My daughter, the dietitian-in-training, enjoys cooking too. Her specialities tend to be very healthy and often vegetarian. She surprises us with the deliciousness of dishes I would never have thought of cooking. Her salads are supreme. And she keeps us healthy with fresh vegetable juices.

Fresh green juice courtesy of my daughter

The thing is, none of us in the family cooks what the others cook. The dish and the glory that goes with it belongs to the person who cooks it. We enjoy it all the more because of that.  And it feels strange if we veer away from that. It’s like a form of infidelity.

Yesterday, my husband was scheduled to cook. Suddenly there was a minor emergency with his work. This meant I had to cook his planned dinner. This had never been done before. But the ingredients had been purchased. Nothing else was planned. I had to tackle his specialty of Japanese Chicken With Brown Rice—more commonly known as Dad’s Japanese chicken and a real favourite. The recipe comes from a wonderful Weight Watchers cookbook, published in Australia. I can’t find the book at the moment or I’d give you the name of it! We work from a photocopy we made to save the cookbook from kitchen spills.

It’s a flavoursome dish made with chicken, baby eggplant (aubergine), baby (Dutch) carrots and ingredients like Tamari (Japanese soy sauce) and Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine). Was I up for it? I went into the kitchen with some trepidation.

My attempt at Dad's Japanese chicken (those are not dead bananas in there but baby eggplant/aubergine!)

Cooking hubby’s favourite recipe was like wearing someone else’s clothes that didn’t quite fit. I did my best. However I couldn’t resist tinkering. I added some sesame oil to the peanut oil. Snuck in a fat clove of garlic. He hadn’t bought gai lan (aka Chinese broccoli) to serve with it. I used ordinary broccoli I had in the fridge. Fried the eggplant first as I think eggplant tastes better that way (thus using a bit more oil than the Weight Watchers allowance.) And didn’t have any green onions to garnish it with.

My husband graciously told me my version tasted better than his. I didn’t agree. It tasted good. Very good. But it wasn’t the same as when he made it. I like it so much better when it’s Dad’s dish. (And, okay, when I don’t have to cook it!)

I’ve found the recipe online, as well as being tasty, it’s also easy! Here it is: Weight Watchers Japanese Chicken with Brown Rice.

Do you have any family favourite dishes? Maybe one that is jealously guarded? A favourite that you like to make? I’d love to see your comments!