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“It is a wise father that knows his own child.” — William Shakespeare

In my family, we take great pleasure in preparing home-cooked meals for each other during most celebratory occasions. Sure, it’s wonderful to treat the celebrant(s) to a fine restaurant meal, but it’s just as nice (if not more thoughtful) to take the time to cook a nice meal for someone. On Father’s Day, I served Shrimp Pad Thai, Stir-fried Baby Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce & Garlic, Steamed White Rice, Sago Coconut Pudding with Diced Mangoes, and Passion Fruit Sherbet. Verdict? Splendiferous and oh yum-mo! Mmm…

Pictured above is a plate of Pad Thai, stir-fried bok choy, and rice. Tasty. A national dish in Thailand, Pad Thai is a dish of rice noodles, eggs, garlic, Tamarind juice, chiles, and any combo of shrimp, chicken or tofu. Stir-fry, heap onto a plate, garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro (coriander), and serve with a wedge of lime. Omit the chicken and you’ve got yourself a vegetarian meal! The dish is versatile and recipes vary. One time, I ate a very satisfying curried beef version at a Chinese-Indian Hakka restaurant.

Well, I didn’t make a “100% authentic” version for these reasons: my sis wouldn’t allow me to put in cilantro (sis and Dad aren’t fond of the taste) and bean sprouts. Ever since my sister donated one kidney to my Dad last year, she avoids exposing her remaining kidney to potential health hazards. Ehrr, she kept citing the Salmonella sprout outbreak of 2005 that sickened 650 Ontarians and other recent occurences. Yeah, so I substituted stuff…

I learned a few things from my father and one of them is… improvisation. I subbed Italian flat-leaf parsley for cilantro and slivered sugar snap peas for bean sprouts. Perhaps not as good as my sister’s… but delicious, too!

Oh, for dessert, a serving of warm baked Sago Coconut Pudding with ripe mangos. I modified my sis’ recipe (sago pearls, cornstarch, milk, coconut milk, butter, white & brown sugar, custard powder and eggs). Beneath the caramelized surface is a thick but creamy custard with hints of coconut and packed with sago pearls. You can sub tapioca pearls (similar to sago) for the sago pearls. Warm, comforting and sweet, just like… my Dad.

Dessert was followed by… more dessert! Scoops of Passion Fruit Sherbet garnished with sprigs of fresh mint from our garden — a cool, lively, fresh fruity taste. A perfect end to the meal. My Dad said it was all really good.

“Passion, it lies in all of us, sleeping… waiting… and though unwanted… unbidden… it will stir… open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us… guides us… passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love… the clarity of hatred… and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion maybe we’d know some kind of peace… but we would be hollow… Empty rooms shuttered and dank. Without passion we’d be truly dead.” — Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Ya, so I’ve been looping Buffy episodes again. OK, I need an intervention.

Adieu,

Massa P