Cooking Fundamentals 1: Garlic, Onion, Ginger

Learning to cook on your own is slow and tedious. I used to rely a lot on proportions and procedures, always making sure that when the recipe said a cup, I will throw in a cup as prescribed at the right time, fearful of the possibility that one wrong move can result to something inedible.

Through the years, I’ve learned food is as intuitive as it is scientific, and that the secret is not in the recipe but in mastering a few fundamental skills and recipes and building on it. Adopting my mother's mantra of bawang, sibuyas at luya (garlic, onion and ginger), the triarchy of herbs she used to sear, fry and marinade flavors with. I would stir fry everything from broccoli to clams, mastering the subtlety of shifts in flavors when you fry each of the ingredients in a specific order, and learning through each painful experiment things like when garlic turns bitter, or onions sweet. Or when everything else is burned and I need to start over.

Three simple things: garlic, onion and ginger. Chop them, dice them or dump them all in. Heat the pan, add the oil and stir them in. Wait for the aroma to rise, test its limits and then add the next ingredient.

If you burn it, start over. It’s not much of a waste if you charred a clove of garlic, half an onion and a chunk of ginger.

Then you can add diced chicken. (And salt and pepper).

And then start over: garlic, onion and ginger. And instead of chicken consider carrots, young corn and green peas. (And salt and pepper).

Or brocolli and cauliflower. (And salt and pepper).

And when you’re confident try adding all of those things—chicken, carrots, peas, broccoli and cauliflower—even some cashew nuts and chili. And soy sauce and rice wine and calamansi. (And salt and pepper).

Or later on, try oyster sauce, fish sauce and chicken broth. Stir in some rice noodles, celery and cilantro. (And salt and pepper).

And then start over: garlic, onion and ginger. Before you know it, you have a repertoire of a few stir-fry dishes even vegans can love. (Just don’t forget to finish it off with salt and pepper).

And then start over.