Not exactly planned that way, but here goes.
Part One was the rice part of the Dinner.
This took most of the morning, just as well I divided the cooking over a couple of days. It's not just about time, when a person gets older, it's about energy too. I need enough left to enjoy the meal and the company tomorrow.
Anyway, started with a debate. The recipe says firmly to leave the rice soaking in water for two hours. The rice people say never do that, never, you'll drain off flavor and nutrition. So I did soak and drain, but saved the rice water for soup, see below.
Then the assembly of the doings and the discovery that I didn't, after all, have ground coriander which I was sure I did. Much searching, and I concluded I must have used it up in a spice mix, reused the container and forgotten to get more. I also didn't have green chilies, no idea about them, but nevermind.
Well, considering all the flavors in this dish, one or two instruments missing from the orchestra isn't a problem.
Here's the draining of the rice to save the water.
Tomorrow is about the fish, now thawing in the fridge, marinating, cubing the halibut, frying in another selection of spices, before heaping on top of the hot rice to serve. There will be a lot.
Then I thought, after a lunch of Red Chowder(!) I thought I'd start on the blogpost.
Then the power and wifi went out. This triggered a visit from next door and a call from down the street, was it just them? No, it was out all over.
So part two of the day was walking then dozing over a Sayers book on my Kindle, and generally keeping warm in a cooling and darkening house. It was very quiet with no systems running. I could hear geese flying over.
Power came back in time to catch Textiles and Tea, about which more tomorrow. I'm a bit spent, low in spoons right now.
But so far so good with the Bahreini dinner.
