This Malaysian cooking is the way to go forward with entertaining. It’s very easy to serve a complete and tasty meal without an overload of work on the day of the service. I make all my dips, sauces and condiments well ahead of time, and making the roti happens over two days instead of making one day very demanding.
I arose well rested after a good long sleep, and there was no rush to do anything. I washed all my bed linen before getting started on the laksa late in the morning, and then we went into the village for supplies and to walk Her Highness at a stop along the way. And as we drove home, the sky started to get brighter.
From the Old Dog, New Tricks Department: I am really liking my iPhone. I’ve become used to carrying it when I walk, and now I use it to pay for things, and I don’t have to carry my wallet with me anymore. I paid for everything this morning using my phone.
And when I emerged from Nester’s, the sun was out, and I felt euphoric. The past year was not easy with my very poor breathing, but now walking slowly has become a way of life and I like it. It keeps me calm and I notice more. And this prednisone! What a miracle it is. I walk with ease; even my heel is hurting far less, and the recoveries make life truly wonderful!
I spent much of the afternoon, slicing tomatoes, making batter mix for the friend bananas, cooking hard boiled eggs and slicing them to float on the surface of the laksa, plus I did vacuuming, dusting, cobweb removal on the ceiling fans, and cleaning the guest bathroom. I had all the time in the world; I was not rushed.
In the early afternoon, the sun was out to stay. Birds flooded my feeders and the fountain. Water was flying everywhere as the birds had good baths. I’m powerfully grateful for these avian friends I serve. They thrill me. And speaking of thrilling me, the clover is germinating beautifully and with the week of sunshine coming, it should really get a good footing.
I bought 10 pounds of seed, and it covered a lovely large section of my yard, so I ordered another 10 pounds to do more of the backyard. Woo hoo! And when this nice weather is around, I will do more work on my pathway, slowly filling up the gaps between the paving stones with Irish moss. It looks so, so smart!
My duties were due to begin at 16:00. The dough balls had to come out of the fridge and warm to room temperature, so I wanted to light a small fire right after taking the balls out to help them reach room temperature. I then had an hour of free time. My guests were due at 17:00, and that’s when I was due to stretch and fold the dough and to heat up the laksa. At 17:30, I wanted to fry the roti so that it was hot to serve at 18:00. So, my guests sat at the table and had their appies and chatted while I got to work in the kitchen. They were close enough that I could be part of the conversation.
This is a different style of cooking for me. I’m used to Western cooking, and I choose dishes to make that allow for most of the work to be done through the day so that I can relax before eating with my guests. But that system tired me out. By the time guests came, I was beat.
Serving this Malaysian food is ideal. I make the sauces and condiments days ahead of time. Then, the day before the dinner, I make the dough, and I let it set overnight. All I had to do was make the laksa broth this morning, and then I had the rest of the day off until 16:00. Hence the long, lovely, walk in 20° temperatures, and then a fabulous long soak in the spa. I was rested and charged for my guests.
Everything went well, but I was kept very, very busy cooking dishes right before serving them. We ate so much laksa, roti and salad, that no one wanted dessert. I was relieved because I was rather beat by the time came for dessert. Instead, we just sat around, and they finished their wine and then they bid me good night at 20:30, and I got busy with a vast amount of washing up. It was absolutely heavenly to get into my bed with fresh clean laundry. I went immediately to sleep.
Today will be a lovely slow day. It’s going to be warm like yesterday, and bright and sunny. Our walks will be wonderful and so will be having nothing to do but chill all day. And tonight, the new season of the Great Canadian Baking Show begins. It, and the Great British Baking Show are favourites. And Beth is looking forward to The Gold on PBS tonight, so I’ll watch that as well.
No weight loss in the past ten days. Sigh. But no gain either. This will be a week for diligence. I’m so pooped after yesterday, and next weekend is a repeat dinner for Jay, Eoin and François.
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