Tariq K ✅ @tariqk@octodon.social

I just got off the phone from someone from the Merdeka Centre (http://merdeka.org/). That was odd.

“Sir, if you could rate your current satisfaction of your living conditions, what would you rate?”

Not great.

“Do you have any suggestions on what $(MUNICIPAL_COUNCIL) can do to improve it?”

Friend, if they could overthrow predatory capitalism I'd be happy, but they can't.

I once tried using a miso strainer I bought at Daiso to put all of the noodles in, so that once it was done I could take it out and complete cooking the veg and egg.

the strainer took too much space in the pot, tho, and in the end would have diluted the soup, which would have defeated the point of cooking the egg in, which always subdues the taste. which is why you put in less water in the first place.

and it complicates cooking flavors with seasonings embedded in the noodles.

ehh.

Too bad the Mamee Chef lines are so fcuking pricey, tho. And the lontong flavor is great, but feels like it'd be so bad for me. I can feel my BP spiking after eating it.

Like, ramen flavors are, at worst, pale imitations of the thing you're imitating, and at the best, they evoke other feelings and become their own things by themselves.

Which is why Mamee Curry noodles are perennially popular, and honestly, I think it's why the spouse likes the Mamee duck flavor noodles. They don't taste exactly like the things they're trying to simulate, but are their own things.

I have to say tho that the Mamee Chef flavor that comes close is Lontong. That was SOMETHING.

I also once tried the Mamee Chef Curry Laksa flavor that they had that some gwailo raved over and said it was the best ramen flavor EVER.

and… it's pretty good! it very cleverly incorporates coconut milk powder and has the tofu skins in the whole mix, and it was pretty good!

But here's the thing. It's not curry laksa tho. If I wanted curry laksa I'd eat curry laksa.

Also works well with Mamee Noodles, duck flavor, which is AMAZING and is beloved by the spouse, who has… like, 20 packets at home right now. We bought it cheap because they were on sale.

The Mamee noodles one requires a little change to the recipe though, since some of the seasoning is embedded into the ramen matrix itself, and you mix the sauce and some additional seasoning after the 2 minute cook time.

But it's good.

Actually, scratch that. I put the noodles, the spices and the egg in the hot water first, while the veg is steaming. Then I just plonk the whole thing together and start the fire.

If you want the noodles springier I guess you could put them in WITH the veg and the egg, but I dunno if you could do it without breaking the yolk.

🤔

…worth a try.

What I do is, usually, if I have frozen veg, I put the frozen veg in a bowl with 2 tbsp of water, cover and heat it up for 2:30 on 100%, in an 800W microwave (I think?).

Then I take out the veg, which is half-steamed, and put it in a saucepan with the uncooked noodles, enough hot water to cover the noodles (not the amount they recommend), the spices, and an egg (usually at the side, not touching the noodles but submerged in the water).

Then I cook it for 2, 2½ minutes.

Turns out great.

Also, I want Maggi curry mee.

But the sodium.

😣

HEY COME ON GOVERNMENT WEBSITE I NEED TO FILE MY TAXES JUST LET ME LOG IN

Like, Ramadan remains a challenge, even as you get older. Which is the point, honestly, as an act of solidarity.

First time you're doing it, it's the hunger that gets you. Then you solve that, and then it's a matter of thirst. And usually by this stage you think you're sorted, but if you're born Muslim, like me, then around this time you'll hit puberty, and then it's SEX that's a challenge. After that? Well. It's sleep. By week 3 you've accrued SO MUCH SLEEP DEBT OMG.

Ramadan is coming in about a month's time. Which means I need to think about the apparatus I'll need to make power smoothies, and the stuff I'll be eating during iftar.

Someone had bubur lambuk (a rice porridge with meat, spices, coconut milk and ginger) for lunch today.

I am jealous.

They took my advice! Now they want chocolate.

Like, honestly, this is a pretty universal advice:

You may love coffee, but if you *need* a coffee, what you're needing isn't the caffeine boost, it's the thing that's making you need a caffeine boost.

If you can nap, that means you have the time, the ability, and the opportunity to take the nap. That happens far less than your opportunity to get or make a coffee, which takes less time.

Ergo, just take that fucking nap.

And if you still feel like shit after, THEN you can take that coffee.

Someone in the chat group I'm in was like, “I don't know whether I need a coffee or a nap”.

I just had a nap.

Take the nap.

ANYWAY. BACK TO MUNDANE STUFF.