Peanut Oil

In Macau, even the simplest dish taste different.

Two days ago, I went to dinner with my uncle. Stir-fry, Shanghai-style, knife-cut noodles. Eggs with prawn. Two fairly common dish I had regularly in Toronto. Back home, the flavour is flat. In Macau, the loops of noodles shone in the florescent light and slips from clawing of my chopsticks. The prawns were a little mushy and the eggs a bit watery and smooth.

The taste, though. Each bite was a flare of flavour. I couldn't really describe what it was. Was it the spice, the cooking by propane fire, or the addition of a simple something?

My aunt asked, "Does your mother use olive oil or peanut oil to cook at home?" It was one of those make conversation questions that one family member asks another.

"I sometimes use olive oil when I cook --- I find it healthier. It also has a better flavour. My mother likes vegitable oil. It's cheaper. We don't have peanut oil in Canada."

"What is vegitable oil?" She asked.

"It's made from soy beans. There isn't vegitable oil in Macau."

My aunt shook her head slowly.

So, the secret ingredient is peanut oil.