D.S.U.S: DNAS's View

In the midst of juggling career, family, children, blogging and gym, any smart solution for the home, I will accept with wide opened arms. Be it how to make beds in 2 minutes flat; or minimizing shirt ironings; or getting laundry done with less hassle; or ultimate maths games for pre-schoolers, they're some of the petty things (husbands claimed this!) in dire needs of smart solutions.

A few years ago, Srikandi started a campaign to collect recipes from everybody within the STFOGA e-groups as well as others who have no access to emails. Delicious and practical recipes of various sorts started pouring into the group mails. Being a curious woman, I did experiment with some of them.

It was quite a wonder to discover that there are actually easier ways to prepare some dishes, that looked complicated enough for some people that they just give up cooking it upon looking at the list of spices required. I agree, it’s true that some spices’ names are as alien and confusing as algebraic equation to a Standard One students. There was a myth that grew in me that in order to be able to cook an excellent dish, one has to attend the advanced cooking classes, become a qualified Chef or having spent 5 years slaving in front of the hot stove. Only now I accept that it was truly a myth.

Not too long ago, I thought Nasi Beriyani Hujan Panas was only for the expert makcik and Oreo Cheesecake might take ages to prepare. My perceptions were entirely changed when I first tried the Tomato Shrimp. I once saw the same dish being prepared by a relative and I thought, 'Oh I'd never be as good as her'. When I saw the recipe posted by a Srikandi, I wrote it down and tried it at home. It was surprisingly easy and knowing exactly when to use 'garam jantan' and 'garam betina' actually helped a lot in improving the taste. Well, that hint was shared by someone from ‘Down Under’, mind you.

So, all the recipes contributed by fellow Srikandis were then compiled and presented in a Recipe Book entitled D.S.U.S – Dari Srikandi Untuk Srikandi. I remember they were a few names being proposed when we were trying to find a suitable title: among them were Dari Dapur Srikandi, Srikandi’s Wok, Selera Srikandi and a few others. D.S.U.S was chosen and I have to admit that the name itself is as intimate as the book content itself. The special hints, notes and anecdotes are among the things you’ll find in D.S.U.S and not in any other recipe books available off the shelves. When I first flipped through the pages, it felt like the person herself was teaching me on how to prepare the dishes. Some even shared how they got the recipes, the origin, the story behind it and how their family and friends loved it.

The D.S.U.S pages might not appear as glamorous as those priced a lot higher, but what matters to me most is the result; and thinking of the sweat, tears and laughter of the Srikandis who produced D.S.U.S, I know it’s going to be another prized heritage. Hey, this also happened to be one of the smartest solutions I’ve found so far.