dinner served by hrm

i volunteered to prepare something oriental for dinner yesterday, choosing vegetarian fried ?Bee Hoen? (rice vermicelli) a la grand aunty?s style and chicken curry. and because some ingredients were missing from the J?kel?s household, i decided to hop onto the S-bahn (Schnell bahn aka speed train that serves the Munich suburb region) heading into Munich?s old city (Altstadt) and in particular, to the lovely Viktualienmarkt (an open market where one could find lots of gourmet produce: spices, dried or fresh herbs, cheese, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, veggies, meat and sausages, flowers, and where incredibly fresh fish which are usually incredibly expensive are bought, and where speciality shops e.g. Japanese, Asian, Tea or cookie shops can be found in the area) that lies in the heart of Munich near Marienplatz, home of the famous new town hall?s Glockenspiel (literally the bells? play.. it is a revolving cuckoo-clock-like structure with 32 life-size figurines that are mechanically moved by the gravitational pull of the 43 bells twice a day: 11am, 12pm, and in summer you could also catch the spectacular at 5pm too!).

into the market i found myself wandering in search of the fish stall which Sabine had once recommended me?the store helper impressed me with his command of English and i was quite happy to find my two purchases (some white fish slices and a few tiger prawns) both vacuum packed to last till Silvester (New Year?s Eve)?.we have decided to have a Chinese Fondu (some version of a Steamboat it will be) on Silvester!

i then found the little asian store at the side of the market square where i got a bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce (one of my favourite sauces!), some dried Chinese mushrooms, coconut milk, and i found the Asian Home Gourmet curry paste instead of the nice Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil which usually does the trick with the appropriate curry and chilli spices for a rather-to-really spicy curry. but perhaps it was just as well?.the curry paste meant that little could really go wrong and being ?mild?, it meant that i wouldn?t end up creating a curry too spicy! *wink*. i also got some chopsticks (in case the J?kels fancy some finger exercises while eating) and most importantly, coriander?.hmmm!

back into the market place, i found some greens (Chinese leaf ) and roots (baby potatoes advertised to be yummy, a huge onion, garlic) and vine tomatoes?.wandered about in excitement and am led to where my nose finds a fancy?a brief moment at the spice store to smell some fresh lavender, and another at the cheese store to have a peek at the interesting mould that are speckled on some of the yellowy things?.a few steps nearer the olives?.hmmm?.and oh?no more sausages for a long long time?.i love open markets! (there are open markets in T?bingen every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings?.and it is quite a fun sight!)?

after some wandering about and all the shopping i have made...i found myself back onto the S-bahn towards where i left? deftly ignoring the post-Christmas sales? crowd and away from the cold.

in the kitchen, the chicken pieces were being marinated with some of the newly bought Kikkoman, sprinkled with a little curry powder all over, well mixed and left to rest. The potatoes were boiled, the dried mushrooms were hydrated with some hot water and subsequently thinly sliced, the carrots were being cut into strips, and likewise the Chinese leaf. the tomatoes and onion were cubed, cloves of garlic were finely diced or simply pressed straight into the heated oil. an omelette was also fried, and some coriander diced?

the resulting two dishes were served approximately an hour later?the vegetarian fried Bee Hoen: a potpourri of rice vermicelli and Chinese leaf, carrots, succulent mushrooms, and shredded omelette, garnished with some coriander; and the curry: a mildly spicy and creamy chicken, tomato and potato ?stew? with a tad of diced coriander as a finishing touch?

i was glad that i had intoxicated no one (in terms of spiciness) and that almost all the curry and vermicelli was devoured even though it looked like we have prepared enough to feed an army?.and i have to say that it was rather fun to have gone food shopping for dinner and to have the privilege of having a kitchen assistant, the use of a really cool ceramic knife, and the luxury of using the dish-washer?it is truly a marvellous invention! i'd definitely have one of them clever things in my very own spiffy kitchen?they take the dread of washing up away?.:C)

posted by ~overacuppa~ on Tuesday, 30 December, 2003 at 21:16 hrs