So, much like the whole week, this is a game of two halves. I have been a strange mix of energised - sorted out my online exercise class and feel much better for it, went early-morning supermarket shopping without a sleepless night beforehand, cleaned the important parts of the house (and shut the door on the rest) - and absolutely exhausted, my fond dreams of a quiet few weeks to catch up on paperwork scuppered by emergency planning, continually updating staff communications and the strange, tiring world of online meetings.
Anyway, the food reflects this. The good first, before we get to the bad and the ugly.
Khao Soi Noodles is an old favourite by Claire Thomson, and can be messed around with a fair bit depending on what you have. The basics are: fry a lot of sliced garlic in vegetable oil (4 cloves at a minimum). Add 3 tablespoons of red thai curry paste, 1 tbsp of curry powder (ours was best before Dec 2018, hooray) and 1 tsp turmeric. Fry for another minute or so, then add 4 boneless, skinless chicken pieces (thigh works best here) cut into thin strips). Turn in the spices until coated, then add 200ml chicken stock, a tin of coconut milk, 1 tbsp of fish sauce and 1 tbsp of brown sugar. Simmer for about half an hour, then serve on cooked noodles.
This comes out like a noodle soup and you definitely need a spoon to eat it. Toppings can vary according to what you have - chopped fresh coriander is good but I didn't have any, so added some crushed cashew nuts and thinly sliced peppers. Plus prawn crackers, obviously (crisps not optional). I failed to take a photo of the finished article, but it's consistently good. You need a decent curry paste, though, or it can be a bit listless. Without children I would add chilli. I've also been known to add other veg in with the garlic at the beginning. Whatever works!
From the sublime to the ridiculous. My husband's quest for comfort food led to him finding a Nigella recipe for butterscotch pots. He was overly optimistic about my cooking skills and 'we can do it together, it'll be fun'. Hmmm. I am the annoying person that orders a cheesboard instead of pudding - puddings are not really my thing (cake doesn't count, you eat that with coffee). Also, the last experimental cooking we did together involved a pasta machine, copious alcohol and a disappointing dinner at midnight. What could possibly go wrong?
Everything, apparently. Neither of us had ever made caramel before, let alone butterscotch. There was non-melting sugar, endless whisking and immediate hard toffee when we added the cream. We ended up with a disappointing custard with a weird texture that only my husband liked. Pudding sorted for him for the next few days. I'll have the cheese.
Anyway, the food reflects this. The good first, before we get to the bad and the ugly.
Khao Soi Noodles is an old favourite by Claire Thomson, and can be messed around with a fair bit depending on what you have. The basics are: fry a lot of sliced garlic in vegetable oil (4 cloves at a minimum). Add 3 tablespoons of red thai curry paste, 1 tbsp of curry powder (ours was best before Dec 2018, hooray) and 1 tsp turmeric. Fry for another minute or so, then add 4 boneless, skinless chicken pieces (thigh works best here) cut into thin strips). Turn in the spices until coated, then add 200ml chicken stock, a tin of coconut milk, 1 tbsp of fish sauce and 1 tbsp of brown sugar. Simmer for about half an hour, then serve on cooked noodles.
This comes out like a noodle soup and you definitely need a spoon to eat it. Toppings can vary according to what you have - chopped fresh coriander is good but I didn't have any, so added some crushed cashew nuts and thinly sliced peppers. Plus prawn crackers, obviously (crisps not optional). I failed to take a photo of the finished article, but it's consistently good. You need a decent curry paste, though, or it can be a bit listless. Without children I would add chilli. I've also been known to add other veg in with the garlic at the beginning. Whatever works!
From the sublime to the ridiculous. My husband's quest for comfort food led to him finding a Nigella recipe for butterscotch pots. He was overly optimistic about my cooking skills and 'we can do it together, it'll be fun'. Hmmm. I am the annoying person that orders a cheesboard instead of pudding - puddings are not really my thing (cake doesn't count, you eat that with coffee). Also, the last experimental cooking we did together involved a pasta machine, copious alcohol and a disappointing dinner at midnight. What could possibly go wrong?
Everything, apparently. Neither of us had ever made caramel before, let alone butterscotch. There was non-melting sugar, endless whisking and immediate hard toffee when we added the cream. We ended up with a disappointing custard with a weird texture that only my husband liked. Pudding sorted for him for the next few days. I'll have the cheese.
You remind me I need to buy cheese tomorrow. Important.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I can't believe I thought this would be a quiet time. I'm not being very productive, but there's a hell of a lot to do.