Cooking with rogo

I will start posting pictures and recipe sketches of some of the meals I am cooking for myself. I say recipe sketches because I rarely measure ingredients. Instead I add what looks like the right amount, erring on the side of too little so I can add more if necessary. These dishes are produced entirely by improvisation, so since I am a relatively inexperienced cook the quality of the completed dishes is very variable. As a student, my goal in cooking is to minimize cost and maximize nutrition and variety of interesting flavors. Most things I make require only a handful of ingredients; meat is used sparingly due to its high price and low sustainability. I include a few comments and a rating for each dish. Rather than a measure of my personal enjoyment of the recipe, the rating refers to how well the final product matches my intention/expectations. Finally, I mention if the recipe sketch is worth being used as a guide by other amateur chefs or whether it needs major changes before I recommend it outside my own kitchen.

Chickpea Curry

Combine 1 can coconut milk, 1 can chickpeas, 1 fried onion, few minced garlic cloves, couple tbs minced ginger, 1-2 tbs curry powder, salt & pepper to taste. Simmer 15-20 minutes uncovered. Serve with white rice.

Comments: quite creamy, spiciness depends on amount of curry powder
Rating: 7
Try it

Rice Pork Noodle Soup
Cook one package rice vermicelli according to package directions. Combine 2 cups chicken broth and 2 tbs minced ginger and simmer. Cut off ends of bok choy and cut leaves into edible pieces (Leaving leaves uncut means you end up sucking up an entire leaf in one bite, which is unpleasant). Cut pork into small pieces and fry in oil. Fry 3 cloves minced garlic in oil. Add bok choy, pork, fried garlic, and cut up shiitake mushrooms to broth and ginger. Simmer for a few minutes. Add cooked vermicelli and simmer for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Comments: Needs more pork and liquid and less vermicelli and bok choy. Not as flavorful as one would hope.
Rating: 4
Development continues

Rice Tuna Casserole
Cook lots of rice if you're hungry like me. Combine rice, 1 can tuna, 2 cups instant chicken soup, couple chopped tomatoes, 1 tbs butter in casserole. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake (or broil with aluminum foil on top if your bake function does not work) for 30-40 minutes at 200C/400F.

Comments: Needs more cheese and needs to be baked in a real oven.
Rating: 7
Try it

Penne with cheese sauce
Mix equal amounts of flour and butter and heat slowly to form a "roux." Stir in cold milk. When milk is steaming stir in shredded cheddar cheese. When cheese has melted to form thick sauce, add chopped onion. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Toss sauce with cooked pasta, preferably macaroni but any kind will do. Serve with green vegetable like broccoli, which tastes good when a little of the cheese sauce rubs off on it.

Comments: This was better the last time I made it. This time I didn't add enough cheese. I think the variety and quality of cheese is very important.
Rating: 5
Try it with greater quantity and quality of cheese.

This week is Conservation Week in New Zealand, so yesterday I played hooky from University and went on a guided walk led by the Green Hut Track group, a bunch of volunteers who maintain tracks around the Dunedin area. The walk was led by a 78-year-old, and nearly all the walkers were retirees. It was a nice relaxed day in the Silver Peaks.