Even with a vocabulary that is mainly consisting of utter gobbledygooks, Spud still can, without a doubt,  make her preference very clear…

… like when she expressed her displeasure with a “gahhh!”, and at the same vehemently turned away and even refusing to look at her mother as she clung on tightly onto her Papa.

Not just once, but many, many times over last weekend.

I can play alongside with her, no problem! But, no matter what and how I tried, Spud would not want me to carry her at all. She was all into her Papa and the moment I showed any indication of taking over, or even wanting to carry her in the Mei-Tai, she threw a fit until Silver Bullet takes over. Never mind trying to feed her that day.

Given that it was the first rejection ever, I have to admit that it was quite a big, tight slap on the face! Never mind the fact that I endured all 9 months and several months after that slaving over her, or the fact that I rush home every day just so that I can spend some time with her and put her to bed or that I painstakingly prepared her meals. I mean, my child, for no apparent reason (and not that I was in a foul mood or been scolding her or anything like that) has decided, just out of the blue and basically demanded for her mother to go take a hike.

Suddenly, just like that, Momma is out and Papa is in!

It is not as if that I am jealous that Spud showed a preference for her father; in fact, I love it that both father and child bond really well and that Spud takes to Silver Bullet so very fine. But, to suddenly get rejected like that, man! that kind of hurt.

From the onset, I know it is nothing personal, and I know that I should never take such things personally. I reckon, Spud is probably going through one of those unexplainable toddler phases. However, like I said, it still sort of makes me feel a little upset in a pouty sort of way when she decided that somehow, she did not want to have anything to do with me,

Having done some online research, though, I discovered that it is quite common for toddlers to have preferences and go back and forth on their preferred parent as part of their development. I reckon, given that Spud hardly sees Silver Bullet on the weekday, it could also be her way of catching up with her Papa. That being said, I think perhaps, I should make myself scarce more often! (Hmmmmmmmm…)

I also read that one of the likely reasons she does that is probably because she feels total security, and know that I am there for her. Hence, her rejection towards me may in fact mean that she may be feeling quite secure to explore with other people and that apparently translated to me doing a fabulous job as a mother in with making her feel safe. (Wooohoooo!)

So, those are the comforting words I stumbled upon several websites, and, at this stage I can only bask in that comfort that this is just a phase, And if it isn’t, I guess I should take it in another perspective – her rejection will actually allow me the time to do other things (Woooohoooo!)

Babies and toddlers are such mysteries. And I guess, my little girl is just showing some signs of growing up…

Who would have thought that Spud can be as fickle, if not more than our cats!

“Hooray! Hooray! It’s a curry-curry day
What a world of fun for everyone, curry-curry day
Hooray! Hooray! It’s a curry-curry day
Sing a curry song, skip along, curry-curry day”

To be honest, I don’t know why the above Boney M song has been spinning in my head since last night after I cooked my pot of curry….And while cooking, I cannot help but agree that we Singaporeans do get our priorities right when it comes to food! I mean, where in the world would curry be making such huge headlines all around the world!

Anyways, I know I’m supposed to cook it only on Sunday, but I decided to start the night before simply because, curry usually tastes better after you keep it overnight. All I have to do is heat it up again and simmer it on slow boil prior to our iftar dinner tomorrow, and the curry will be richer in taste. As they saying goes, “Good Curry, No Hurry!” (OK I am super lame queen of the week!)

As I am writing this in my bid to post a pciture of my chicken and potato curry dish in support of Cook and Share a Pot of Curry, I also realised that I actually have not posted my curry recipe despite making it for hundred of times now.

So here goes, and I hope you like it as much as we do.

Chicken & Potato Curry

2015-07-13 18:09:38

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Ingredients A

1. 1-1.5 kg of chicken (cut in pieces)
2. 4 potatoes quartered
3. springs of curry leaves
4. 2 tomatoes (cut in half – optional)
5. Carrots (optional)
6. 2 red chillies sliced
7. 6 red shallots (sliced finely)
8. 5-7 tbsp curry powder (I use a Singapore brand called “Earthen Pot” which my parents kindly hauled several packets for me when they come by for a visit)
9. 250ml coconut cream (otherwise known as santan in Malay)
10. A thumbsized tamarind paste
11. some olive oil
12. About 500 ml of water
13. Salt to taste

Ingredients B (to be blended)

1. 4 cloves garlic
2. 2 large red onions
3. About 10 pieces blanched almonds
4. 1 thumbsie piece of ginger
5. 2 candlenuts (alternative: brazil nut or macadamia nut)
6. 4-6 pieces fenugreek (biji halba)
7. 1 tspn black mustard seeds

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients in B and set aside
2. Marinade chicken with some of the blended paste for about 15 minutes
3. Separately dissolve the taarind paste in about half a cup of hot water to extract tamarind juice – set aside
4. Heat the pot, and when warm enough, roast the curry powder (without oil) until fragrant and slightly brown (be careful not to burn it!). Add curry leaves and shallots – stir fry for about 5 minutes
5. Add in the blended ingredients to the curry powder and mix them altogether
6. Put in a generous portion of olive oil into the mixture and fry them for another 10-15 minutes.
7. Add in the chicken and potatoes and mix them in
8. Add in about 500 ml of water to make a gravy(more water if you prefer it to be more diluted), salt to taste and tamarind juice prepared earlier
9. Cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes
10. Add in coconut milk and tomatoes15 minutes before removing it from the heat
11. Remove from heat when chicken is tender and serve hot

Notes

1. My first curry recipe actually came from the back of the package of “Earthen Pot” Curry Powder, and over the years, I have experimented and modified the original recipe a bit here and there in my bid to get that perfect and addictive curry taste. What really made a difference was the use of fenugreek, mustard seeds, and most importantly that dash of tamarind!

Grubbs n Critters https://grubbsncritters.com/

My curry bubblign away on the stove…