Stress cooking while working from home, a Hong Kong professional gets in the flow, even screaming kids can’t distract her
- Chinese Canadian finds cooking to be a form of meditation – ‘It takes your mind off of everything around you,’ Sherry Wong says
- Covid-19 outbreak has ushered in a ‘golden age of baking’, says a counsellor, who likens stress cooking and baking to art therapy
Sherry Wong knows her way around a kitchen but didn’t do much cooking at home – until the coronavirus pandemic, that is. The Chinese Canadian has joined a growing number of people using cooking and baking as a way to destress.
Cooking, she says, is soothing – not even her screaming kids can distract her when she is “in the flow”. Knowing she can feed her family meals they can savour, from a simple chickpea dish to a more complicated carrot cake, is very rewarding.
Her new-found passion for cooking has brought her family closer together.
People are sharing photos or videos of their cooking during the pandemic on social media, using hashtags like #coronavirusbaking and #quarantinebaking. Stephen Fry, a British actor and comedian, shared his first attempt at soda bread on Twitter. Chinese feminist and activist Wei Tingting posted on WeChat her first attempt at pumpkin steamed buns – as well as her surprise at her success.
Panic can trigger physiological symptoms like shortness of breath, and cooking can calm the mind and body.
“There can be physiological and psychological changes that drive this phenomenon. When kneading [dough], you’re not panting but breathing slowly, for example,” Watkins says. The satisfaction from seeing the finished product and connecting with others through cooking and baking can relieve anxiety, too.
A 2016 study, published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, supports this. It suggests that people who frequently take on small, creative projects – like baking and cooking – feel more excited about their plans the next day. The researchers followed 658 people over 13 days and found that such creative pursuits also helped them relax and feel happy.
Paradoxically, the recent upsurge in baking has left some people anxious because key ingredients such as flour are in short supply at supermarkets.
During a crisis such as this, in which shortages of products are common because of supply-chain disruptions, Wong says you should relax and make do with whatever you can get your hands on.
For instance, having watched K-dramas like Itaewon Class, she was inspired to make a pork belly and kimchi jigae (a soybean-paste-based stew). It is a recipe that calls for gochujang, a Korean chilli paste, but it was sold out at her grocery store. Wong improvised with an online recipe using maple syrup, cayenne pepper and Korean soybean paste that generated similar results.
The art of healthy improvisation
Sarah Lee Boon Hong of Sweet Secrets has been in the cake baking business since 1999. The Hong Kong entrepreneur suggests those who can’t find regular flour should try using wheat-free alternatives, such as nut flours and all-purpose gluten-free flours – many of which are still available in stores.
Her cakes are “good for your mind, body and spirit”, says the Singaporean. Sweet Secret’s bestsellers include a wheat-free, vegan chocolate cake made with almond flour and without refined sugar.
Gluten-free flours are also good for savoury recipes, and are often a blend of rice, bean and potato flours, she says. “Mostly the blend is complex carbohydrates or grains, alongside a minority of simple carbohydrate flours, like rice flour.” They are a healthier choice, she adds.
Expect different results than what you would get from using regular flour, though. Gluten gives baked goods an elasticity that helps them rise in the oven. Home bakers who use wheat-free alternatives risk more crumbly, denser results.
Adapt recipes by adding moisture through the use of coconut, olive or avocado oil, Lee advises. “When experimenting with wheat-free baking … be prepared to test it over and over again,” she says, and be ready to make adjustments.
Like cooking? For Asian recipes to make at home for friends and family, visit SCMP Cooking.