Working Mother's Assam Fish Curry / Pork Rib Corn and Lotus Soup

Yesterday's dinner took me a tad longer to prepare. Often when Pork Ribs (Bak Kut) is are involved, I have to spend more time boiling it to tenderness.

Bak Kut with Corn and Lotus Roots Soup

Daughter was disappointed that it wasn't Bak Kut Teh that I was boiling but then, although she and her Daddy like Bak Kut Teh, the boy doesn't fancy it. He doesn't like the 'herby' taste. Hubs doesn't understand why I would pay more for Pork Bones when one can eat just the meat but I'm always reminding him that it's the bones which give the soup flavour. So as with chicken, I have to always buy the pork with bones and the pork sans bones. Is there any other cooking mother out there who is going mad like me?

Self-rating: 6/10

Then because I couldn't control my urge to eat Assam Fish Curry, I just had to cook it up. But then, this is a Working Mother's version. No fancy fish. I just dumped 4 Selar in and also a packet of Fish meat chunks. I loooooove brinjals so I cut up 2 whole ones. My big pot was being used to boil the Bak Kut so I had to cook my curry in my pan. It wasn't quite big enough to contain all the brinjals! Once the Bak Kut was cooked, I washed up my big pot and transferred the curry over. Then I dumped in left over Yong Tau Foo pieces (since the pot was big enough to take it all in now). 

In the pic below, you see my finished Assam Fish Curry in a Corningware pot which I usually use to serve but not cook in. Although you are able to use Corningware 'from the freezer, to the oven, to the table', I just don't feel it's authentic to be cooking curry in one. Prefer a metal pot.

Assam Fish Curry (with a motherload of brinjals and left over Yong Tau Foo)

So you must be wondering 'What type of Assam Fish Curry is this?'. Well, I used Selar because I HAD Selar in my fridge. Didn't want to go buy any special type of fish. My 4 whole Selar are hidden somewhere below the mountain of Fish chunks, brinjals and left over Yong Tau Foo pieces. Hee hee. This is reality. Who cooks beautifully everyday for the family? This isn't a show. This is a Working Mother who refuses to see food go to waste! We eat left overs all the time. In fact, left overs sometimes taste better.

Oh yes and by the way, I'd gotten all my fish cleaned, veg cut up, curry paste ready and pan heated when I realised I didn't have coconut milk! Sheesh. Spied my can of sweetened creamer and hurriedly improvised - made a mixture out of it (no stomach ache, can you believe it?). The dish tasted a tad sweet but I loved it. It was yummmmmmy!!!! (even if I say so myself!) 

Self-rating: 5/10

Gloating moment: Daughter's boyfriend said my dishes tasted good! I told hubs and he laughed (mean old man) and said guy was sucking up to me. I told hubs he's a clever young man then! But I don't believe for a second he was trying to curry favour. From the short time I've known him, I think he doesn't do stuff like that. He's a nice young man. Well, darn! The food must have really tasted good! *pats own back*