This is my first ever blog about food that I personally cooked, so please bear with me if this is nothing fancy. I am no chef. I don't cook either. But this summer, somehow, I had this sudden urge and a strong motivation to practice and learn cooking. So, every day is a new learning for me, together with the hope that I can gain (not yet at an enhancing level) skills in cooking.
After all, there is no such thing as late in learning new things, right? And so while I am writing this, it makes me proud somehow to cook this simple sweet potato coated with caramelized sugar paired with juice on this super hot day. This may not be a five-star dish, but for me, this already tastes a "success".
I noticed that we still have sweet potato crops left from the last Holy Week season. Since I only knew how to cook this through boiling, I had to watch YouTube on how to make "a camote cue". Though I have ideas how to do it, I am taking my cooking lessons seriously this summer, so I asked my cook teacher, YouTube, to show me the way. Hehe
First off, I cleaned the sweet potatoes. I only have 5 pieces of them, which I think is more than enough to satisfy my craving for today. After cleaning, I chopped them into pieces. Oh, I peeled them first before slicing! Haha.
And yes, the very simple process goes on. I heated the pan and put oil in it. I was surprised that the video I watched cooked the sweet potato in two parts. I mean, the first part was just to cook the sweet potato, but only halfway? halfcooked? hehe without the brown sugar yet.
When all the sweet potatoes are cooked in the first round, it's time to caramelize the sugar. (I honestly don't know this. Huhu) I thought cooking sweet potatoes was just a one-way street, like frying them and then sprinkling sugar on top, and that's it!
So when the brown sugar turned sticky and golden, I added all the sweet potatoes to the pan. At this point, I didn't stop stirring everything as I put the heat on low, making sure that the sweet potatoes were all coated with the caramel. I realized that these two stages of frying sweet potatoes avoided the sugar not getting burned or overcooked, and so with the sweet potato too!
When cooked, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. The sweet potato inside is so soft and tender, while the brown sugar coating is crispy! I then grabbed my favorite pineapple juice and had a great time savoring the snacks I prepared!
While cooking, I was sweating, not probably not just from the hot climate, but probably because I am so focused on learning this new skill! Am I ashamed that I lack this skill? Yes and No. Yes, I'll be ashamed if I haven't done anything to learn cooking, even these simple snacks. But NO, because I know in myself that acknowledging, not ignoring what I don't know, is actually a good start towards learning and growing.
Till my next cooking lesson then!🤗 See you!
📚She is a public school Teacher on weekdays, a Jill of all trades on weekends, outdoorsy on holidays, a mother, and a blogger in between. 😉
🍃She's in love with nature and the simple life of the countryside. As a lifelong learner, as she is, she is attracted to learning opportunities and growth. ❤️Join her as she shares life's simple joy and its beauty through traveling, exploring nature, the wonders of creating things through some of her DIY, the good things about countryside life, a glimpse of being a Public School Teacher, and more!
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