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my tea eggs have been simmering in the crock pot for almost a day; it was time for a taste test to gauge their progress.

i tried a white tea egg, which at this point was now brown. it had nice marbling, but the flavor wasn't strong enough, so i added another tbsp of salt. i sliced the egg in half so i could see how deep the tea soak had penetrated. the white has turned light brown but it could use some more soaking. the flavor hasn't reached the yolk yet, maybe in another day or two. the outside of the yolk had also turned "green" (although it looked grey to me); apparently a properly cooked egg doesn't have this, although given the fact that i'm simmering these eggs for a few days, it can't be avoided. it doesn't bother me though (i always thought that was a hard-boiled yolk is supposed to look like anyway).

2 hours later i tried another tea egg, this time a brown one. i'd cracked it so much the entire egg felt soft. it was so hot i had to rinse it in the sink before i could peel it (tea eggs are supposed to be eaten cold anyway). yesterday i noticed the brown eggs had stronger shells; that may be because they have a tougher inner membrane. initially i thought the inner membrane was the peeled egg itself and was surprised by how dark the marbling lines were; only after i peeled off that membrane did it reveal the real egg underneath. even with the addition of the extra tablespoon of salt, i didn't really notice if this egg tasted any different from the first one. the yolk needs more time to absorb the tea flavor.

i made a quick trip this morning to market basket to pick up some additional ingredients for thai red curry: chicken breasts ($5.29), whole cashews ($4.49), and a bottle of cholula hot sauce ($2.50, not for the curry). but i was missing the most important ingredient, which was the red curry paste itself. i do have a can of prik khing curry, but since i never had that before, i wasn't sure if it was any good (although if you were to ask me in a blind taste test, i'm not sure if i could tell the difference between all the different thai curries). i remember seeing thai red curry at the korean supermarket in union square so after paying (i complimented the cashier on her neon green fingernails) i paid that store a visit.

reliable market seems to be undergoing some sort of renovation, completely doing away with their alcohol department, perhaps installing something even better in its place. ever since h-mart opened up a store in burlington, it seems reliable has taken a hit, although for locals, this is the only korean supermarket in the area. ever since the japanese supermarket in the porter exchange closed down to make room for a lesley bookstore, probably a lot of japanese are shopping here as well (although i seem to have spotted a new smaller japanese grocery store opening near porter square, i'll have to check it out).

after a lengthy search, i finally found the can of thai red curry ($1.69) i was looking for.

i came home and put the bike away in the basement. this new crop of neighborhood tenants have taken over most of the sign post bike parking spots. i was also storing the bike since a forecast of heavy rain is in store for later tonight into tomorrow morning. even on my grocery run i already felt a few sprinkles. earlier i also covered up the motorcycle in preparation for the impending storm.

i finished some work for client R and uploaded a new version. i didn't think they'd get back to me until tomorrow but they already checked out what i sent and scheduled a conference call for tomorrow morning. for some reason i thought their client presentation was the end of this week but it's actually next week, so we're ahead of schedule. hopefully what little tweaks i need make aren't too much work and i can get it done within the next day or two.

drew came home around 5:40. i made thai red curry for dinner. i figured he might be interested in seeing the process (or maybe help out) but he spent the whole time in the living room. this curry had everything: chicken, eggplants, thai basil, baby corn, cashew nuts - maybe a little too much. it was also spicier than i intended, maybe i shouldn't have added those thai chili peppers.