The week has flown by again and we now only have another two weeks officially at school. There is no word yet on where any of us will be placed next year so it's just a 'wait and see' situation.
I started the week by treating myself to a wonderful massage at the new beauty salon downstairs on the first floor. I've another appointment booked for this afternoon so am looking forward to that. The setting is opulent with gold wallpaper and trimmings. The massage room had a shower in it for afterwards, not that I used it as I only had to come back upstairs but I'm sure lots would. The owner is Greek and the workers are Filipino.
The teenager asked to have some friends over for dinner on Thursday night (end of week for us) so I agreed. He wanted to cook butter chicken, one of his new favourites and I said I'd make garlic prawns. So off I went to the supermarket on Wednesday night to buy most of the ingredients, leaving the fish and meat to get fresh on Thursday.
After work on Thursday I took a taxi to Marina Mall which has the best cleaning of the prawns. Ordering two kilos and leaving them to be butterflied, deveined, deheaded & delegged (if there is such a word) I wandered around getting 2.5kgs of chicken breast, lemons and onions.
I decided I'd take the bus back to our home and luckily one was sitting waiting as I exited the supermarket. By now it's 3pm, stinking hot and I've got fresh meat and fish to get home. I'd purchased two cooler bags the day before so had taken them with me but was still worried about keeping the meat safe, especially when I had to put my bags of groceries in the luggage tray in the full sun. So a couple of times I jumped up and rearranged them and covered them up to no avail because as soon as the bus moved or we turned a corner they were either in or out of the sun again.
So I sat down and tried to relax, hoping the bags would do their job and wishing I'd bought some ice to throw in there. Never mind the fact that I'd probably never have carried it all!
It was the first time I'd taken the bus the whole way and it took nearly an hour. Once home I grabbed some butter and garlic butter downstairs in our supermarket (no butter at the one I was at) and came upstairs to put the meat on ice. It was still nice and cold when I opened the bags so I was relieved.
Just time for a quick cuppa before the teenager arrived home with three mates, ready to start the prep. As the boys wanted to head to the gym I suggested they prep first then workout, shower then cook later.
Another two boys arrived so the prep began in earnest. The others couldn't believe the amount of meat to be chopped and asked several times why there was so much. Obviously they aren't used to cooking for crowds. In fact, they aren't used to cooking, fullstop. What a saga to get anything done.
The effort increased once I told them that we had a rule, no help, no food. Onions got chopped, garlic got peeled (after careful instructions from me), chicken got chopped (to varying degrees of success) and rubbish got taken away. When the teenager said the cook doesn't do dishes so the ones not helping would get that job, things sped up.
The Lebanese got demoted to peeling garlic after his attempts at cutting chicken were dismissed vehemently by the teenager. The Algerian took over, although he'd never done anything like this before he proved competent and was at least able to follow the teenagers directions (meat had to be evenly sized etc).
I'm trying hard not to laugh at these efforts as I'm pottering in the kitchen, but not succeeding. I told them I was going to have to write about them and their attempts to cook in my blog and took photos to prove it. Now my blog will have appeal to a younger audience and they all asked me for the details. I hope you're reading this boys!
It's Aunty this and Aunty that (the Arab boys call my Aunty) and slowly things get done. Meanwhile the South African (who does know how to BBQ) and the Thai brother and sister kick back and relax.
The spices are measured out, the garlic chilli paste is added and the chicken is set to marinate, inside a bucket of iced water.
After cleaning up themselves and the kitchen the teenagers all head down to the gym leaving me some welcome peace to enjoy a drop of Marlborough's finest. I phone up a couple of friends to pop up for a glass and some food later and settle down to enjoy the evening.
I said I'd cook the prawns so after giving them a wash I marinate them in my 'secret' marinade.
After half an hour I grabbed my lovely new frying pan that I'd bought especially for the prawns, added a knob of garlic butter, a large slab of butter, 6 crushed cloves of garlic and the prawns. Adding some lemon juice to the bowl I rinsed out the last of the marinade into the pan and let them simmer for about 30 minutes. Having been shown this recipe I couldn't believe that you could cook prawns that long without them being tough but they were melt in the mouth delicious. The aroma was intense and it's one of those dishes where you just have to keep taking the lid off to smell it. Yum! Once the sauce had reduced I popped them into my new insulated serving dish. I love the dishes they have here to keep your food hot so bought one of them also.
I can see these two new additions to my kitchen will be firm favourites and I'll probably buy another of each.
Throwing a large pot of rice on to cook, I settle down to catch up on the week's events with a fellow kiwi.
A couple of glasses later the teenagers return home with much noise and the cooking begins in earnest. Too many cooks spoil the broth and the first batch is higgelty-piggelty with spices forgotten and added later. The Algerian says, "It'll have to be good to be as good as my Mum's butter chicken!" Strong words to my teenager.
It's ready and dished up into bowls along with rice and prawns. The aroma is divine and the prawns are a great hit with all, being gobbled up pretty quickly. The chicken is aromatic and spicy and is also a hit.
The first batch disappears very quickly so the second batch goes on, with the spices going in at the beginning this time. The Algerian takes over and cooks the second batch following the recipe closely, adjusting the amount of chilli according to the teenagers directions.
Three other boys arrive to mop up the remains (thanks to text messaging) and all the food is gone! Not a morsel left.
Dishes are done, rubbish taken out, tables wiped and all is clean again.
The verdict:
Better than Mums! (Algerian) I told him he'd better not go home and say that!
Prawns were best I've ever tasted! (Lebanese)
Best feed for a long time! (Kiwi)
Prawns very good. (Thai)
Showered and freshened up the teenagers head out for the night to an after prom party.
All in all, there's a good future ahead for the teenager if he continues to cook like that.
I started the week by treating myself to a wonderful massage at the new beauty salon downstairs on the first floor. I've another appointment booked for this afternoon so am looking forward to that. The setting is opulent with gold wallpaper and trimmings. The massage room had a shower in it for afterwards, not that I used it as I only had to come back upstairs but I'm sure lots would. The owner is Greek and the workers are Filipino.
The teenager asked to have some friends over for dinner on Thursday night (end of week for us) so I agreed. He wanted to cook butter chicken, one of his new favourites and I said I'd make garlic prawns. So off I went to the supermarket on Wednesday night to buy most of the ingredients, leaving the fish and meat to get fresh on Thursday.
After work on Thursday I took a taxi to Marina Mall which has the best cleaning of the prawns. Ordering two kilos and leaving them to be butterflied, deveined, deheaded & delegged (if there is such a word) I wandered around getting 2.5kgs of chicken breast, lemons and onions.
I decided I'd take the bus back to our home and luckily one was sitting waiting as I exited the supermarket. By now it's 3pm, stinking hot and I've got fresh meat and fish to get home. I'd purchased two cooler bags the day before so had taken them with me but was still worried about keeping the meat safe, especially when I had to put my bags of groceries in the luggage tray in the full sun. So a couple of times I jumped up and rearranged them and covered them up to no avail because as soon as the bus moved or we turned a corner they were either in or out of the sun again.
So I sat down and tried to relax, hoping the bags would do their job and wishing I'd bought some ice to throw in there. Never mind the fact that I'd probably never have carried it all!
It was the first time I'd taken the bus the whole way and it took nearly an hour. Once home I grabbed some butter and garlic butter downstairs in our supermarket (no butter at the one I was at) and came upstairs to put the meat on ice. It was still nice and cold when I opened the bags so I was relieved.
Just time for a quick cuppa before the teenager arrived home with three mates, ready to start the prep. As the boys wanted to head to the gym I suggested they prep first then workout, shower then cook later.
Another two boys arrived so the prep began in earnest. The others couldn't believe the amount of meat to be chopped and asked several times why there was so much. Obviously they aren't used to cooking for crowds. In fact, they aren't used to cooking, fullstop. What a saga to get anything done.
Food prep crew - Abu Dhabi style!
Food prep crew - Kiwi style!
Multicultural efforts. Kiwi, Lebanese & Algerian cooks.
The Lebanese got demoted to peeling garlic after his attempts at cutting chicken were dismissed vehemently by the teenager. The Algerian took over, although he'd never done anything like this before he proved competent and was at least able to follow the teenagers directions (meat had to be evenly sized etc).
I'm trying hard not to laugh at these efforts as I'm pottering in the kitchen, but not succeeding. I told them I was going to have to write about them and their attempts to cook in my blog and took photos to prove it. Now my blog will have appeal to a younger audience and they all asked me for the details. I hope you're reading this boys!
It's Aunty this and Aunty that (the Arab boys call my Aunty) and slowly things get done. Meanwhile the South African (who does know how to BBQ) and the Thai brother and sister kick back and relax.
The spices are measured out, the garlic chilli paste is added and the chicken is set to marinate, inside a bucket of iced water.
After cleaning up themselves and the kitchen the teenagers all head down to the gym leaving me some welcome peace to enjoy a drop of Marlborough's finest. I phone up a couple of friends to pop up for a glass and some food later and settle down to enjoy the evening.
I said I'd cook the prawns so after giving them a wash I marinate them in my 'secret' marinade.
After half an hour I grabbed my lovely new frying pan that I'd bought especially for the prawns, added a knob of garlic butter, a large slab of butter, 6 crushed cloves of garlic and the prawns. Adding some lemon juice to the bowl I rinsed out the last of the marinade into the pan and let them simmer for about 30 minutes. Having been shown this recipe I couldn't believe that you could cook prawns that long without them being tough but they were melt in the mouth delicious. The aroma was intense and it's one of those dishes where you just have to keep taking the lid off to smell it. Yum! Once the sauce had reduced I popped them into my new insulated serving dish. I love the dishes they have here to keep your food hot so bought one of them also.
Throwing a large pot of rice on to cook, I settle down to catch up on the week's events with a fellow kiwi.
A couple of glasses later the teenagers return home with much noise and the cooking begins in earnest. Too many cooks spoil the broth and the first batch is higgelty-piggelty with spices forgotten and added later. The Algerian says, "It'll have to be good to be as good as my Mum's butter chicken!" Strong words to my teenager.
It's ready and dished up into bowls along with rice and prawns. The aroma is divine and the prawns are a great hit with all, being gobbled up pretty quickly. The chicken is aromatic and spicy and is also a hit.
The first batch disappears very quickly so the second batch goes on, with the spices going in at the beginning this time. The Algerian takes over and cooks the second batch following the recipe closely, adjusting the amount of chilli according to the teenagers directions.
Three other boys arrive to mop up the remains (thanks to text messaging) and all the food is gone! Not a morsel left.
Dishes are done, rubbish taken out, tables wiped and all is clean again.
The verdict:
Better than Mums! (Algerian) I told him he'd better not go home and say that!
Prawns were best I've ever tasted! (Lebanese)
Best feed for a long time! (Kiwi)
Prawns very good. (Thai)
Showered and freshened up the teenagers head out for the night to an after prom party.
All in all, there's a good future ahead for the teenager if he continues to cook like that.
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