Apa nak masak malam ni?

That's always the question that bugs me everytime the clock ticks past 5 pm. The most dreaded question: Apa nak masak malam ni?

If it's just me, I'm quite happy with eating nasi panas2, telur goreng and kicap (menu masa zaman bujang dulu... :). Maybe throw in several pieces of cucumber with Maggi tomato sos, yum ! yum! Tapi bila dah kawin ni, I can't think for myself only, can I? I have 4 other people's eating preferences that I have to consider before deciding what to cook for dinner.

First, the kids. Nadim ~ he's quite a fussy eater. He doesn't eat fish, veggies, or mee-related dishes. If these are set on the table, he will just eat a little, if nothing at all. Tapi kalau ada ayam or daging masak kicap, he can wallop 2, 3 plates at one go.

Then there's Nadira ~ this girl is quite flexible in her food choices. Tak kisah apa saja, dia boleh makan. Quite adventurous, too in trying new food. Masakan kampung dia suka, Western pun dia suka. Our food tastes are almost similar, so I don't have much problem with her. Only thing is, she takes a special kind of rice coz she's diabetic.

The little boy? He is such a fussy eater! I'm having problem getting him to eat because he just refused to eat his dinner. He'd take maybe 1 or 2 suap, then he'd go "Naa... nak!" and go play. I always get very frustrated when I see this. He's so skinny. His weight hasn't changed that much from 6 months ago and he's now almost 2 years old. Budak ni pun suka makan ayam. Oh, and he loves tosei & curry as well.

Then there's the father of these 3 kids. He would go, "I tak kisah apa2...". But when he comes home and sees something that he doesn't really fancy, he'd go, "I tak nak makan lah tonite. Perut I sebu.." .

I have never done that. Whatever is served for dinner, I'll make it a point to eat it altho' kadang2 tu I tak suka sangat benda tu (eg. kids' macaroni & cheese). Orang dah masak susah2, makan je lah, kan? Budak2 pun sama. Kadang2 tu dah beriya2 masak kat dapur, suddenly they all makan sikit saja. Siapa tak hot?! Macam malam tadi. Beriya I masak tom yam lah, ikan & ayam goreng, sayur masak lemak ~ sikit je they all makan. Sungguh tak berbaloi!

So tonite I'm gonna say, "I'm not cooking. Eat whatever there is left in the fridge or kitchen!". Or if I ada mood baik sikit karang, I'll go and get some pasta for them. My husband is not coming home until tomorrow, so we all boleh makan simple2 saja.

It's tough being a mother, huh? Itu baru nak decide apa nak masak. Belum lagi masuk bab sekolah, pakaian, tuition, and teenage tantrums. Lagi pening... :(


Update:

In the end, the menu for last night was fettucini carbonara. I went to get the stuff from the supermarket and asked the maid to cook it. They loved it! (except for the little boy who just played with the pasta noodles!)

Comments

wanshana said…
Mrs Nordin,

I only cook dinner on Mondays and Fridays, and rarely cook lunch nowadays - not even during weekends.

Tuesdays and Thursdays - dinner at my MIL's as the kids have mengaji and tuition segala over there.

Wednesdays - after kids' piano lessons, routine dinner at Nasi Kandar Sedap @ SD.

Saturday and Sundays - eat out or tapau.

I only cook beriya for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

As such everybody looks forward to my "once in a blue moon" cooking sessions, walaupun tak le sedap mana pun...Hehehe!

Maybe you should do the same? ;)
Kmar said…
BJ,

You guys are so lucky with food. Kalau tak nak makan kat rumah, boleh makan luar. As for me, EVERYDAY kena masak.. pfff... boringnya makan masakan sendiri!!! Asian food memang susah nak jumpa.

Sebab itu la, kalau ada my friends datang, mesti I suruh depa masak.. ha.ha.. at least tukar selera sikit. So, bila you nak datang ni??
Lee said…
Hello Mrs Nordin, how are you? I read thru your this posting and couldn't help smiling...I guess what you mentioned, it's every mother's thoughts, those that cook...every day or evening, 'apa nak masak'? Ha ha.
You know, we have a lady friend here, 4 young kids, all fussy eaters, ini tak makan, itu tak makan...so she has a small whiteboard, titled 'what I want to eat tonight'.
The kids, ages 6 to 12 as well the lord and master, they tulis what they want....kalu lupa, mom cooks what she likes, if no takers? Go to sleep hungry, ha ha.
Anyway, I guess you are a gourmet cook. but as a consolation, only women who can cook well have your kind of 'what to cook'? Ha ha.
You stay easy and have a nice day, Mrs Nordin, Lee.
MrsNordin said…
Wan Shana,

Yeah, perhaps I should put in a bit more planning into this. If there's a weekly routine like yours, mungkin tak pening sangat. Thanks!
MrsNordin said…
Kmar,

I would lurve to go and visit you!! Nanti congak2 dulu masa dan wang nya, ok?

You cook everyday? My God... you must be one excellent cook, my dear! I cannot tahan stay in the kitchin too long. I get hyper-ventilation!
MrsNordin said…
Hi U. Lee,

The white board thingy is not a bad idea. But, if they write what they want to eat, I'll probably end up having to cook 2 or 3 separate meals for everyone, everyday! Hoyoo... cannot tahan maa...the house is not a restaurant, ok?

I'm not a gourmet cook, my husband is. The reason why I have that question all the time is because my cooking ability is pretty limited, but my family's taste buds are rather diversified! Sigh... how I wish I'm a Nigella.
MrsNordin,

I asked that question all the time too...well since I have this new career la - jadi tukang masak for the 3 spoilt-by-mum brats (yup..incl hubby).

Everyday I have to prepare min. of 3 dishes. 1 dish must be what hubby likes, 1 dish must be what children like & 1 dish of vege.

I have stacks of recipe books which I can't be bothered to go thru...only bila mood memasak datang boleh la tengok2. The best recipe book so far is by Chef Wan..if you follow it to a T, you'd get it right even on the first try.

I'm so envious of my friend here whose family isn't fussy about eating. When she is in her malas cooking mood (which is all the time) she would just make hotdogs and french fries for everyone - and that would be dinner!

If I do that for my family, they would want REAL dinner after that. Semua ni legacy of my mum's cooking masa kat Msia dulu. So my family dah got used to have multi-dishes dinner.

But tonite since hubby is not eating at home, the kids are just going to have Yang Chow Fried Rice - fancy name for nasi goreng cina. A dish that has everything!

Good luck with cooking dinner tonite!
MamaEta said…
Bj..kekadang mcm tu la..ponet perah otak..nak pikir masak ape..bila dah hidang..datang depa2 ni..ade je nak komen..

My hubby tak kisah..hatta lauk tak menjadi ( u know la..kekadang experimen tak jadik!) pun licin..cuma budak2 yang kekadang banyak songeh!

Kalu cam tu..I masak nasi lewat..panas2..pas tu goreng telor dadar.(lecek2kan tahu lembut dlm telor tu before goreng..he..he..habis tu..takkan memanjang tak mau sayur..haha..kena tipu gak!)..kalau sardin tu....( ingatkan nak express)..ambik kuah je...sardin sapa nak makan?dah le anak2 I yg kecik ni tak makan pedas..so u can imagine..tawar hambar makanan patik!

My hubby selalu pesan..masak je ape yang u larat...kalau yang mengada tak mau..biarkan!!musti kena ajar..makan ape yang ade!!

Tapi sanggup kah seorang ibu begitu?

But again..we still think its our duty to place food on the table kan..tak kira la..masak, reheat atau tapau dari pasar malam...

Pahala apa!sedangkan siti fatimah pun menangis masa nak giling tepung ..ape tah lagi kita..yang Allah saje yg tahu...

Bye Bj...nak nap-nap..hujan lebat nih!

Happy cooking!
MrsNordin said…
Madam,

How can you tahan prepare 3 separate dishes everyday? Kalau lauk saja, tak apa lah. Ini, sorang nak makan nasi, sorang TAK nak makan nasi, sorang lagi tak kisah apa2 (tapi must be something that i like!). Pening!

And then, bila dah nak memasak, sekali tengok, bahan2 nak masak pulak tak ada. Adoi... kena keluar pegi kedai pulak! If that happens, I'll just tapau McDonald's for the kids. Husband ¬ sendirian berhad, ok?
MrsNordin said…
Eta,

That's why I think, bebudak ni dari kecil lagi kena ajar makan saja apa yang dihidangkan. Don't give them a choice coz if we do, kita jugak yang susah. Let them choose once in a while ok lah, not every day. Penat badan di buat nya!
Anonymous said…
"I am the Queen of the kitchen, if you don't agree, then starve"

Hah. Ada wood-carved statement kat dapur i.

Kejam ke? Naaaah.

Budak2 ikut je the rule set. The hubby tak kisah. Masaklah apa saja dia telan.

I remember sepanjang 16 yrs of marriage, sekali je dia comment.. 'uihhh masak apa ni?'

You know what was it?

Dlm fridge ada just ikan selar & timun.
Ikan selar I dah ter-masak goreng cili.
One thing kat rumah tu, kena ada kuah baru lajuu je suap.
That left me with just the timun.

I tumbuk bawang putih and sikit bawang merah, tumis.. dah naik bau, masukkan air.. masukkan kiub maggi ikan bilis.. then hiris timun bulat2 tebal2 sikit, masuk dlm itu periuk.

Tu yg dia tanya tu "uihhh masak apa ni?

Selamba je i cakap.. "sup timun".

hehe.

miasara.

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