i opened up a bag of grill-a-corn, barbecued flavored corn snack that resembles cheetos. "grill-a-corn" sounds like some mythical creature, half gorilla, half unicorn, and i must've said it about a million times as i tried to get my coworkers to sample this corny morsel. even adam, normally very conservative when it comes to food, said it was pretty good, so the next time you're in chinatown, pick up a bag of grill-a-corn (99¢). i also got myself a nice cup of bubble ice tea, getting one for james as well, introducing him to the finer things in chinatown life.
the girl behind the counter where i got my july mbta subway pass was flirting with me. standing in line, i noticed her furtive glances in my direction. i paid with credit card, and after signing the receipt, she said with all seriousness, "i asked you to sign it, not to scribble on it." there was a few seconds of awkward confusion before she cracked a smile and we both laughed. "i like your nails!" i told her, admiring the painted golden flourishes. "thanks!" she said, as i took my credit card and mbta pass. to be continued next month. that reminds me: this morning i saw a woman in front of me hop the turnstyle in porter square. it wasn't that she did it, but how: she pulled back the turnstyle to give herself enough clearance then she just slid through the opening effortlessly, almost like a slight of hand card trick where you don't believe your eyes. it helps that she was tall and skinny though (and attractive, i'm sure nobody even noticed what she was doing). i stood back in silent admiration, always nice to see somebody so deftly stick it to the system.
i was curious to find out if the fox urine had worked. when i got home i saw that it didn't. once more, the backyard porch was littered with dirt kicked out from the pots. 
maybe these squirrels don't know to fear the smell of fox pee (when was the last time we had foxes in cambridge?). this might just have to be one of those things i live with i guess. the tomatoes and the peppers are big enough now that squirrels don't really damage the plants 
(except that one pepper plant, but after i staked it, it's fine now). maybe i could put chicken-wire grills over the pots, but i'm afraid the squirrels will then take out their hidden aggressive on the plants instead. this might be a battle that i can't win. don't think i'm going to forget this come wintertime, squirrels. i won't be leaving any food for you outside during those long cold months. you and i are no longer friends.
after watching enough of the red sox yankees game to realize that we weren't going to win one tonight, i started making the thai red curry. all day i was trying to find people to invite because i'd be making too much curry for just one person, but there were no takers (even my mother, who said she was too tired to come over). here are the ingredients:
|
|
making thai red curry is easy. first, you prepare all the ingredients, which is probably the hardest part of the recipe. 
once that's done, you first cook the garlic and the onion and the lemon grass in the peanut oil in a large deep pan with a cover on high heat (leave the cover off for now). the lemon grass isn't that important, and since you'll be adding lime juice anyway, it's really just an extra. 
likewise with the peanut oil, any kind of cooking oil is fine. after about 30 seconds, you throw in the chicken until that's cooked. you can also substitute for the chicken. i've tried beef (only once though, i didn't like it as much), and for your vegetarian friends, tofu works well too. 
oh, before i forget, you probably want to start cooking your rice in the rice cooker during this time as well. it takes about 20 minutes for the 2 cups of rice to cook, which will just be in time for the curry. once the chicken's cooked, throw in the red curry paste. it's going to make everything red, and you'll probably be thinking at this point, "oh no, it's going to be too hot." don't worry. the hotness isn't really from the paste, it's more from the chili peppers. give that 30 seconds, mix well, then start throwing in all the other ingredients with the exception of the basil leaves. 
it's kind of scary because you're thinking, "hmmm, is this right?" but once the coconut milk hits the pan, there can be no doubt that everything will be perfect, the fragrance is mouthwatering. once everything comes back up to a boil, turn the heat down (medium) and put the cover on the pan, letting it simmer for 15 minutes. it's a good time to explain some of various ingredients while we're waiting. i'm not a big fan of eggplants, but they're important in this recipe because it'll absorb a lot of the flavor like a sponge. 
without the eggplant, a lot of the flavor will be lost. bamboo strips are important because they add a crunchiness, and likewise with the cashew nuts (the nuts also give a sweetness when you eat one). adding the sugar creates another layer to the curry, combining with saltiness, spiciness (chili peppers), and sourness (lime juice). if you don't like it hot, 
don't add the chili peppers. the chopped mint introduces yet one more layer of flavor. so after the 15 minutes is up, turn everything off. throw the basil leaves into the curry. scoop some rice into a rice bowl and invert it onto a deep dish plate to create a dome of rice. spoon the curry around the dome (like a moat). sprinkle some japanese seasoning onto the rice (it's just a combination of seaweed flakes and seasame seeds). thai red curry!
queer eye finally tackles a gay guy, and the rest of my evening was spent hopscotching the usual combination of the daily show, nightline, and some late night talkshow.