Cooking Heals

After a long period of building up my photography and food styling portfolio, I’m now ready for a new journey in life. I’ve been attending classes and workshops, busy setting up a new website for my portfolio, and this blog. Reason? I’ve finally decided to combine what I am passionate about and what I am good at: cooking and photography, into my next career. For the past 2 years or so, I’ve been testing the waters, working with some restaurants, an Italian gelato maker and one of the biggest multinational food manufacturer, helping them to do food styling, food photography, recipe development and assist in planning their food-related events and activities. Finally, I think I am ready to take the plunge, as a professional photographer (specializing in food, lifestyle and travel) and a food stylist.

I hope to able to update this blog as frequently as possible, with the recipes, photographs and food styling that have been inspired in my everyday life, or when I am traveling overseas.

Whenever I travel to a foreign country, I’m always intrigued by the local ingredients, culinary and dietary cultures, which inspires me to create new recipes or to try out food that I’ve never tasted before. It’s always a very evocative and fascinating experience, and like I say, the source of inspiration behind my culinary creations.

Unlike most people who will just go to restaurants to dine when they travel, or if they are on a tight budget, eat at fast food chains or merely surviving on self-made sandwiches throughout their travel journey, I would rather cook my own and eat well, than eating poorly within a tight budget.

I believe there are a lot of budget conscious travelers out there, who rather stinge on restaurant bills and spend the bulk of the budget on accommodation, transportation and entrance fees. However, I believe one can travel with a tight budget but still able to do all the sight seeing, yet have a good meal, if you stay at the right place where you can cook not just to survive, but also fully enjoy the wonderful flavours and aroma of the freshest local ingredients.

All you need is very basic cooking facility at the backpacker’s guest house or hostels, and you won’t have to burn a hole in your money bag (especially if you travel in places where everything is expensive after conversion of currency!), and still have a happy satisfied tummy 😉 .

To top it all up, share the food (and the cost ;)) you cook with the wonderful people you meet at the hostel/guest house! Simple delicious meal prepared within the shortest time possible! That’s the best way to go for a budget-conscious traveler!

Here on this blog, you’ll be able to see how simple it is to create a wonderful meal while you are traveling to expensive places…and fuss free too! So have fun reading and trying out the recipes! Do let me know the results if you do try out any of the recipes, it would be great to know!

In Provence, France, you don’t need to cook fancily, just fresh fruits of the season, some artisan baguette, olives, a cup of coffee or a glass of wine…and you’ll have a satisfying meal!

Seen here is goat cheese toasted on baguette slices with honey and chives, and orange, fennel, and pine nuts salad, for dinner in Provence, France.

Happy looking Dave waiting for us to start devouring dinner! I met Dave in Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia a couple of years ago when I was staying at a backpacker’s guest house and has been great friends since then. I was cooking dinner on most days and we shared the cost together. I still remember asking him if he wants to share dinner with me on our way from the airport to the hostel, and I barely knew him then haha! Anyway…obviously he missed my cooking a lot, and he offered me a tent at the camp site where he and his girlfriend and parents were camping in Lyon, France. So obviously, I had to return their good gesture by cooking up a storm for them!

I cooked fish curry, stir fry chicken with ginger, spring onion and mushroom, and poached broccoli with crispy fried garlic and soy sauce, served with rice. They were very happy and satisfied…and his mom has offered me a room in their house if I get to the UK next year, but I have to cook for them! No problem! That’s what I love to do best! (And what’s better than exchanging my cooking skills with free food and accommodation? :D)