So I decide to cook up a storm seeing as I have these packets of spices for curries, do dishes and do laundry at the same time. The communal laundry room is right next to the communal kitchen so while the laundry goes, I reckoned, I'd cook. First thing I had to do was to get everything over to the kitchen area, laundry, food ingredients from coconut oil to ready dough as I was going to make two curries and the steak pie since I couldn't find kidneys. I'd asked Nasim, the caretaker, for another bar fridge to hold all this cooking as one was not going to be enough. He'd promised since Monday that he would bring me one, it eventually arrived yesterday after my marathon cooking spree.
I put in the first load and how you pay is you insert your bank card and it deducts $1.50 for a wash and the same for the dryer. With the laundry going, I prepare my first meal which is the chicken tikka masala and for this, I need half a large tin of tomato puree. I had the tin and I had bought a tin opener but for the life of me, I couldn't get the opener to open the tin. A guy comes in to cook himself some breakfast and I ask if he knew how to work the tin opener and he says yes very enthusiastically but give a few twists and gives up as it won't work for him either. I must say that he did mention that he works for Proctor and Gamble and I guess his lily-white office boy hands were no match for that tin opener. Me being a strong South African woman, was not going to let a little tin opener get the better of me and I battled on as I was now losing time.
The chicken was all cut up and ready to go. It was an easy meal to cook as all I needed was the tomatoes, chicken and the packet of spices mixed up in a cup of water. If only I could get the darned tin open. I battled for another little bit and then Nasim came in and I asked if he could help and he tried and gave up and went and fetched the same type of tin opener. I figured if I couldn't get this one to work, I wasn't gonna bother with the same type. I eventually managed to get the tin open and by now it had a totally new shape and I could cook my first meal after I had to run back to the apartment to get garlic and ginger for the pie and again to get paper towel, spray and cook and butter.
With the first load of laundry done, I put in the second and prepped for the second meal which was even easier as all it needed was to brown the chicken and add the spices mixed up in a cup of water. Easy peasy. Then it was the turn of the steak pie. I only had one pot so I had to cook, let cool and dish out into foil bowls which I had bought especially for this. I needed to roll out the dough so I cleaned an area and sprinkled some flour on there and then started to roll out my dough. Doesn't some of the black stuff of the counter come off on my dough but by then I couldn't give two hoots. I had to use an unopened 1.5l red wine as a rolling pin. Then I had to make sure the dough rounds were big enough for the foil pie tins I had bought. Managed to make two and a half pies out of the dough and had some left-over steak mix for another time. After baking my pies and eating the half one I made, I came to the conclusion that my dough was too thick. I don't like thick dough on pies but nou ja. It was at least edible with black countertop colouring and all.
By now laundry was all washed and dried and now I had the next mission, to carry everything back to the apartment. Luckily or unluckily there are oven trays that I could use. I couldn't leave my apartment door open and it's spring-loaded hinges so you have to unlock and push and slide inside. On my first trip, I had one of the curries and rice and as I tried to manoeuvre it through the door, it slipped and nearly fell but I managed to hold on and just spilt some curry down the door. Gave my left arm a bit of a wrench there. It took me about 7 trips up and down to get everything back, pack away the laundry and only then could I sit down and relax a bit. Boy was I tired after that and I swore never again. I anyway don't think there's much of a saving in cooking versus eating at the caf. John doesn't think my no more cooking policy will hold as I enjoy cooking so much but it's just too much effort. It's not that the kitchen is far, it's about 20m and up a flight of stairs but it's getting everything back to the apartment that's making it a not so nice experience.
I put in the first load and how you pay is you insert your bank card and it deducts $1.50 for a wash and the same for the dryer. With the laundry going, I prepare my first meal which is the chicken tikka masala and for this, I need half a large tin of tomato puree. I had the tin and I had bought a tin opener but for the life of me, I couldn't get the opener to open the tin. A guy comes in to cook himself some breakfast and I ask if he knew how to work the tin opener and he says yes very enthusiastically but give a few twists and gives up as it won't work for him either. I must say that he did mention that he works for Proctor and Gamble and I guess his lily-white office boy hands were no match for that tin opener. Me being a strong South African woman, was not going to let a little tin opener get the better of me and I battled on as I was now losing time.
The chicken was all cut up and ready to go. It was an easy meal to cook as all I needed was the tomatoes, chicken and the packet of spices mixed up in a cup of water. If only I could get the darned tin open. I battled for another little bit and then Nasim came in and I asked if he could help and he tried and gave up and went and fetched the same type of tin opener. I figured if I couldn't get this one to work, I wasn't gonna bother with the same type. I eventually managed to get the tin open and by now it had a totally new shape and I could cook my first meal after I had to run back to the apartment to get garlic and ginger for the pie and again to get paper towel, spray and cook and butter.
With the first load of laundry done, I put in the second and prepped for the second meal which was even easier as all it needed was to brown the chicken and add the spices mixed up in a cup of water. Easy peasy. Then it was the turn of the steak pie. I only had one pot so I had to cook, let cool and dish out into foil bowls which I had bought especially for this. I needed to roll out the dough so I cleaned an area and sprinkled some flour on there and then started to roll out my dough. Doesn't some of the black stuff of the counter come off on my dough but by then I couldn't give two hoots. I had to use an unopened 1.5l red wine as a rolling pin. Then I had to make sure the dough rounds were big enough for the foil pie tins I had bought. Managed to make two and a half pies out of the dough and had some left-over steak mix for another time. After baking my pies and eating the half one I made, I came to the conclusion that my dough was too thick. I don't like thick dough on pies but nou ja. It was at least edible with black countertop colouring and all.
By now laundry was all washed and dried and now I had the next mission, to carry everything back to the apartment. Luckily or unluckily there are oven trays that I could use. I couldn't leave my apartment door open and it's spring-loaded hinges so you have to unlock and push and slide inside. On my first trip, I had one of the curries and rice and as I tried to manoeuvre it through the door, it slipped and nearly fell but I managed to hold on and just spilt some curry down the door. Gave my left arm a bit of a wrench there. It took me about 7 trips up and down to get everything back, pack away the laundry and only then could I sit down and relax a bit. Boy was I tired after that and I swore never again. I anyway don't think there's much of a saving in cooking versus eating at the caf. John doesn't think my no more cooking policy will hold as I enjoy cooking so much but it's just too much effort. It's not that the kitchen is far, it's about 20m and up a flight of stairs but it's getting everything back to the apartment that's making it a not so nice experience.
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