Thread 14 - TalkLair: “What The Hell Are We Supposed To Use, Man? Harsh Language?”

[Kucinghitam]

(Previous thread 13).

Summer should be well under way, but the chilly wind, grey clouds and pouring rain beg to differ. Looks like 2024 continues to be a washout - on the bright side, the Tories got washed out too! In the TalkLair, we remain hunkered down keeping cosy and warm. The hearth is glowing, the walls covered in dubious artwork, books by non-approved authors line the shelves, rugs are down on the floors (and assorted pets curled up on them).

We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey over there in the corner of the cave…

Thus:

I had to re-read that twice, I read it as "mal dung."

Someone on one of The Archers threads said (in connection with a character asking about available ingredients) "Who on earth has garam masala and lentils in their cupboard?" which amused me. As a result, we're having Madhur Jaffrey's Bombay chicken with red split lentils this evening: the only missing ingredient was an onion, for which I braved this afternoon's deluge.

Obviously it stopped raining the moment I got back.

Those look good @duc748 - I’m delighted by my air fryer success as the dough keeps for days in the fridge and cooking one at a time so they’re nice and fresh is ideal for me. I’ve been meaning to try it ever since I got the air fryer but making a batch for visitors the other day meant I could test with leftover dough rather than being stuck with a bowlful of dough if it failed.

@SinnerBoy the refugee situation sounds like a nightmare. Hope they find somewhere else speedily and you get a bit of peace!

Very, very noisy rain here a few minutes ago. It’s just normal heavy rain now, thankfully. Storm Lilian passed us by though, so that’s something.

"Who on earth has garam masala and lentils in their cupboard?"

<raises hand>

Three types of lentil, and chana daal.

Garam masala and lentils are store-cupboard essentials for me, too.

Several types of lentil here and assorted spices probably including garam masala.

I've only got two types of lentil ... yes, shame on me! But I do have polenta and three types of rice!

I also have polenta but mostly for cake.

We spent 6 years in the north-east of Italy and polenta was the go-to carb. The Slovenians made better gnocchi, though! I still love both.

I have garam masala, za'atar and a few others in my spice cupboard, and lentils and various different beans. I didn't think that was unusual!

I had to go and do a count. Two types of lentils, 6 kinds of rice, garam masala, za'atar, numerous other Asian seasonings e.g. five spice, Sichuan pepper, Korean chilli flakes. Various types of pulses in tins. Various sauces and preserves in jars.

But no polenta. The shame!

Sorry for all of you getting wet. We're off to Cragside in a while and it's forecast for heavy rain by 1 pm.

I can't get passionate about polenta (nor grits, which is the American version). It's not that I wouldn't eat it if it was served to me, but I wouldn't be very likely to choose it. Weirdly, I love semolina pudding and I think somehow the two have got scrambled together in my brain so I internally expect it to be sweet.

I loathe semolina pudding and I’m not big on soft polenta but like it when it’s made firmer (preferably with a good amount of cheese mixed in) and then fried. Perhaps topped with mushrooms in a nice sauce or with some really good tomatoes. And I like polenta very much in cakes.

I agree polenta is best as an ingredient rather than a standalone item. And fried or baked.

I adore semolina pudding and resent having become allergic to wheat. But must see if I can get some ground rice as a next best thing.

This is a random WWYD question. I'm meant to be giving my daughter a lift to her university town tomorrow (about 80 miles) so she can pick up her keys for her house this year and take some stuff. She'll then be coming back for a few days until she goes up for the start of term. Annoying that it's a bank holiday, but it's the only day she's not working.

Anyway, I've just driven about 40 miles and the temperature warning light came on (I think!) - though the gauge said it was just under halfway. I'm a bit anxious about this as I've only had the car a few months (it's about 9 years old) and haven't really had to do anything to it yet. It's service/MOT is next month. I've got roadside assistance through my insurer, but haven't used it before. My daughter will be very upset if we don't go as she has a whole schedule planned for tomorrow. Would you risk going and brave the possible horror of a bank holiday breakdown on the A1 or would you delay till you can get to a garage? Once upon a time I'd have known how to put water in the radiator but have no idea what to do with a contemporary car where the manual just says go to dealer about everything.

I also like tapioca pudding, and that's made from cassava plants so has no gluten in it. If the memory of school dinner puddings doesn't put you off, it might be worth a try! Incidentally, I used up the very last of a packet of tapioca recently to make a pudding. It was very nice, and it wasn't until I was discarding the empty packet that I noticed that the expiry date was in 2013. No apparent ill-effects though.

I love tapioca - I predict some supermarket browsing during the week. It's perishing cold here, I had a hot water bottle last night and am about to fill one for tonight and hot puddings seem like a good idea,

I hate tapioca, but remember as a child in Singapore absolutely loving a version with very small, soft grains in a sweet clear sauce. I've never had it since, but more than 60 years on it's like Proust's madeleine to me.

@weaseleyes What gauge? Oil temperature gauge? Are you sure it's a temperature warning light and not an oil pressure warning light (which I would think is more common)? Have a look in the handbook. And it'd be best open the bonnet and check the water level in the radiator, but that should be full if you have no leaks. I'd want to be clearer about which gauges and warning lights before making a decision to travel. Hope this helps. I am not a mechanic.

Thanks, duc. The handbook is very unhelpful! The light that came on is the only one not illustrated, but it’s not the oil light. It’s a picture of a thermometer next to the temperature gauge. The handbook keeps going on about coolant and recommending the dealer. If only it weren’t a bank holiday I’d go to my garage first thing and plead.

Sago gula melaka? A regular favourite pudding in our house!