I’m sliding back into nights again and it feels that routine is returning like the ebb and flow of the sea.
At least after this run of shifts I have a longer break off than just two clear days , so the jet lag will be minimised somewhat and I can be free of groggy heads and disorientated waking.
Yesterday I cooked.
I’m still transfixed by Korean food so I cooked chicken, vegetables ( pat choi, baby sweet corn mange tout, with long slivers of carrot) with gochujang ( Korea’s ubiquitous red pepper paste) and added udon noodles with splashes of lemon and soy . I had already made shrimp, garlic and spring onion gyoza dumplings, so I gently fried them on one side then added a light chicken stock so that the other sides could steam through and boxed them with bokkeun kkae ( toasted sesame seeds) with an accompaniment box of
Kimchi ( fermented cabbage)
As I was turning a patient in bed, I think he got a whiff of a garlic dumpling I had just eaten and told me I smelt nice. I wish I’d kept him a spare one to eat.
As I was driving into work I listened to a little gem of a comedy on Radio 4 called Conversations From A Long Marriage .It’s essentially a two handed play between two sixty somethings who have been married for forty years and is written with skill and huge amounts of affection by Jan Etherington and played with the same skill and affection by the two leads Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam
It’s a wonderfully observed piece of radio theatre.
I love Roger Allam. I first saw him in the mid 1980s when he played Inspector Javert in the original production of Les Miserables and his deep chocolately voice boomed out the pivotal song Stars with an intensity that almost stole the show for me.
Anyhow if you get a chance to listen to Conversations From A Long Marriage please do so , you won’t be disappointed .
There is little else to report.
After nights Affable Despot Jason and I are off to the comedy nite in Theatre Clwyd, I’ve a film to watch at the Storyhouse and there’s choir and lunch out with a couple of friends , so there’s plenty to look forward to .
It’s 3 am and the kimchi is working well…..fermented Korean cabbage may be tasty but it doesn’t half make you blow off with all of the might of the Queen Mary’s foghorn.
I’ve had to back into the doctor’s office and let rip a couple of times so far tonight….
There’s a pea souper on the starboard bow Captain
Do you make your own kimchi? If I can get all the ingredients I might give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever made sauerkraut. It stores for such a long time in the fridge and adds a lovely dimension to a salad.
DeleteDave, I don’t, I only like eating small amounts so it’s bpeasier to buy it
Deletewow! you made a huge effort making all that!
ReplyDeletefarting means great gut health, toot away
How brave you are to dare partake of Korean food while working.
ReplyDeleteI well remember being at a Korean pot luck with two sweet Korean ladies behind the table pointing and saying "Very, very HOT!" and did they ever mean it. The peppers in those dishes would have smoke coming out your ears as you guzzle iced tea by the gallon. Nearly off the hot pepper Scoville scale. Yikes!
Hugs!
'Conversations' is also a radio series, currently playing on Radio 4 Extra. You're right, it is beautifully crafted and acted. Like all Koreans, I have become addicted to Kimchi.
ReplyDeleteYou eat a lot of fermented stuff anyhow cro don’t you
DeleteAm tempted to have ago at making some Korean food after reading your recipes. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the "Conversations" tip. It sounds as if I will definitely enjoy it.
Good
DeleteI've never tried Kimchi, but I'm not sure it'd be a good idea .. I have a stoma, which behaves pretty well (and way better than the diviticulitis I hadn't realised I had!!) but I do have to be careful all the same. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteHummmm may not be a wise lunch with a stoma
DeleteYou made me laugh out loud.
ReplyDeleteGood
DeleteI do hope the doctor wasn't in his/her office when your farty arse backed in!
ReplyDeleteShhhhhhhh
DeleteI don't know how you have the energy to make all that food from scratch after the roller coaster of night/day shifts! I don't listen to the radio as much as I should. Will look out for Conversations. Never tried kimchi but hubby wants to try it - I'll get ready for the explosions and open a few windows! Hope the night shifts pass quickly and peacefully (farts excepted). xx
ReplyDeleteIt takes no time at all,
DeleteWhy don't you eat Welsh food instead of that foreign muck? Mashed spuds, boiled leeks and a couple of juicy lamb chops garnished with daffodil petals.
ReplyDeleteDaffodil petals are poisonous YP
DeleteI know! Hee-hee-hee!
DeleteBut YP John may have eaten his katsu curry this evening sprinkled with cheery golden daffodil- then collapsed-poisoned-and what would we all do then?
DeleteKimchi? Now there’s a food you of all people should avoid. Make sure to leave a window open.
ReplyDeleteAnd all of the doors
DeleteLet the wind blow free-I have a Joanna Lumley style wig but sadly it lost it's charm during Festive activities x
ReplyDeleteLol indeed x
DeleteAlways leave 'em laughing - and you did. Thanks. xx
ReplyDeleteThat’s my job x
DeleteI know Roger Allam from the "Morse" prequel "Endeavor" so I know his voice and of course the delightful Joannah Lumley. Two such lovely voices I would imagine make a great match. Haven't heard this but I can see that it is a great pairing.
ReplyDeleteHe plays his part rather lugubriously
DeleteLugubrious is one of my favourite words. It is how I like people to see me, regardless of how jolly I may feel inside, as I find it means they will leave me alone, which is just perfect.
Deletei too love korean food and make a lot of it. if you want a real treat, make kimchi mung bean cakes. i can't get enough of them. they give scotch eggs a run for their money.
ReplyDeleteOh please leave the recipe , I’ve just looked the, up but I’m interested in how you do them in practice
DeleteThe idea of Radio Theater is really kind of amazing to me. We have nothing like that here unless you want to count Family Life radio, with their simplistic little stories.
ReplyDeleteThe theatre I describe is a weekly half hour slot which runs for 6 weeks or so. The BBC also do hour plays and longer serials
DeleteWe both love Kimchee, it is a very easy way to ferment and can be adjusted to suit, no dried shrimp and not too heavy on the hot peppers so the flavor comes through. At the moment Nappa cabbage is very expensive so we are rationing our kimchee a bit. Joyce
ReplyDeleteI hate the taste of dry shrimp , but love shrimp paste made with garlic
DeleteOne of my early role models would say, there is more room on the outside than the inside.
ReplyDeleteI will think about this one
DeleteI've never tried kimchi, but keep thinking that I should. Then I could have a farting competition with the Pug :-)
ReplyDeleteJust a random thing, but I would love to learn how to use chopsticks properly, I have tried so many times. Can you use them?
Yes, I always eat Korean food with chopsticks , it makes you eat slowly ..I’ve always been able to use them
DeleteI am sad to see your blog offline. I have been inspired by your budgeting challenge. Cx
DeleteYes Sue.. ..Also curious to find your blog shut down today, hope it's just a fixable glitch.
DeleteNot just me that can’t get into A Smaller Life then.... I wonder why?
Deleteme too, it says you need permission from the blogger x
DeleteI don't think I'll try the hot red pepper paste. It would upset my hiatus hernia something rotten!
ReplyDeleteIt’s mildly spicy not too hot
DeleteI must say that when I read your recipe I did think that may well be a side effect.
ReplyDeleteMore wind tonight , I’m just cooking katsu curry
DeleteI like Roger Allam too but I only know him from the TV series "Endeavour."
ReplyDeleteHe’s a lovely singer Debra
DeleteThat radio show sounds great. I like both Allam and Lumley a lot.
ReplyDeleteGive it a go Steve, I think you’d like it
DeleteI like Korean food too. Your Korean meal looks outstanding. Yesterday, I saw a demonstration of Chinese hot pot where guests use chop sticks and dip thinly cut meat in to boiling broth and it looked good. The side dishes included Bok Choy and noodles in a spiced broth. This would make a lovely themed dinner party. Now I want a hot pot.
ReplyDeleteOhh that sounds interesting
DeleteYou are such an adventurous cook! I'm impressed!
ReplyDeleteKatsu curry tonight
DeleteYou made me smile, John. My first thought was that someone should go back through your blog posts and since how many times you talk about farting! It seems to come up a lot! :)
ReplyDeleteI’m very windy
DeleteI've spent entirely too much time watching different Korean people prepare meals on utoob. I wish I had access to more variety so that I could try some of the different meals they make. Yours sounded and looked so good. The hot pot that Susan commented on, is also something I would love to try. I can't copy everything but I'm not afraid to use a lot of chili sauce in my noodles. You are going to have to make a cookbook next. Having moved to a smaller community, I miss the Indian food that we had available although I make a damn fine cauliflower curry that has a nice bite to it. The Greek yogurt works well with that heat and it is delightful. You have been showing a lot of culinary talent that I was unaware of. Problem is, you are making me hungry. Ranee (MN) USA
ReplyDeleteI'm just wondering what the doctor did to have his office become your emissions site.
ReplyDeleteI have a gay friend whose other half is a Korean chef. Jealous? I have gone off the Conversations radio series recently. Too much cringeworthy sexual content.
ReplyDeleteI love kimchi. We've a Korean supermarket somewhat nearby my house. They stock locally made fermented cabbage that's *chef's kiss* tasty.
ReplyDeleteOur son and daughter were both adopted and came from Korea. When my son was just toddling we were visiting at a Korean family's house and they had just finished eating. Our toddling little son, under 2 years old, had made his way back into the kitchen, and had reached up to the table and was gulping something so fast from the bowl. I got there in time to take it away, and it turned out to be Kimchee juice from whoever had left it in the bowl. I put my finger in to taste it. It was so, so spicy, but with a good flavor under that spiciness. My little son had been just scarfing it down like it was the best thing ever. He had never had any Korean food before that, because he was only 3 months old when he left Korea, so he had only had formula. I wonder if there is a genetic component to the foods that we like or dislike. My Korean daughter has never liked kim chee. I love cabbage, but prefer to leave the kim or chee,whichever means spicy out of it.
ReplyDeleteOne time my best friend and I had gone to a Korean restaurant for lunch. Everything was delicious, but she especially loved the kimchee, so she had a large serving at the restaurant and brought home the leftovers. She put it in her trunk. Then she and her husband had gone to an outdoor municipal theater here in St Louis. Then after the play,they went home.
She took her leftover kimshee out of the trunk of the car and took it in and put it in the refrigerator. The Kimshee odor had really taken over in the refrigerator. When her husband opened the door, the Kimshee aroma nearly knocked him over. He had never eaten any of it before.
He said to my friend that he had been smelling that odor all evening and at the theater. He discovered that the strange aroma he had been smelling all evening was his wife. He had been trying to figure out what in the world that odor was. Kim Chee really has a robust signature scent. Possibly best to save for a solo evening. Lucky that they were at an outdoor theater.