Summer potlucks and cook outs coming to the end

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables and Seafood

The days are getting shorter and the weather are getting colder in Vancouver. We have attended as many potlucks and cook outs this summer, if not more than the other previous summers. Our friends are getting more and the number of potluck groups we engaged are also growing. My family have even extended our activities beyond the provincial borders. As end of summer weather approaches and fall begins, we get nearer to closing the chapter on the year, we reflect on this year's activities. Especially on some of the happy and great get togethers we have had. Each outing was hosted by a different friend and we usually don't contribute the same cuisine consecutively either. The one major element we enjoyed in these potlucks most is having variety.

A Cake to Celebrate Friendship

Every single one of these events has involved cooking up some special cuisine. My fellow home cooks have dished out some of the most amazing cuisines and we have continued to enjoy Malaysian flavours even from Vancouver. Because of all these good food, we hardly dine in the Malaysian restaurants in Vancouver. Why should we when we are able to cook authentic Malaysian cuisines ourselves. Even the friends that first arrived in Canada with little cooking experience are becoming good cooks, learning from the others that have been dishing out the best cuisines of Malaysia. My wife too has improved on her cooking skills.

Always Popular Curry Chicken

My wife and I, have learned a lot from these outings. Our friends are never shy to share their recipes and kitchen secrets. We are becoming better cooks ourselves. We are able to cook Cantonese type cuisines that we were only able to find in Cantonese restaurants. But today, we are able to cook more than a few authentic Cantonese cuisines. Living in Vancouver has afforded us the luxury of diversity in food culture. There are all kinds of restaurants serving different types of cuisines here. Sometimes these restaurants are located within a short distance from each other like clustered in one part of Richmond on No 3 Road and on Fraser Street in Vancouver.

Barbecue Chicken Wings

But among the Malaysian friends that we have, we have done pretty well too. Sharing our food during potlucks, cookouts and other get togethers. This has been the most amazing way for us to sample variety of cuisines. Even the ingredients, sauces and herbs that we used in Malaysian cooking are easily available in Asian groceries. And there are so many Asian grocery store everywhere in Vancouver. The most common cuisines we have seen in potlucks were curry chicken, barbecue chicken wings, stir fried vegetables and nasi lemak. As for the noodles, the char beehoon and fried shanghai noodles are the most common after fried rice.