crockpot congee

I listened to the last Lost podcast today and found out that the new episodes start in January. That sucks!

I have tomorrow off, so this post will have to last you until thursday. Read it slowly. You may want to divide it into two parts.

Tomorrow night The Parenthetical Girls are playing at Harlow's. They are opening for Los Campesinos? Anyone out there like Los Campesinos?

OK, here's another mystery ingredient inquiry, since I have failed to stump anyone yet. I bought a huge bag of (I assume) seasonal greens at Vinh Phat. I'm pretty sure they were called mongtai, although I did not write it down. They were innocuous looking, kind of like a cross between Chinese broccoli and spinach. As I sliced them my hands became coated with slime that was difficult to get off, similar to when you handle a slug. As I cooked them they began to generate large quantities of clear slime. I had to throw it away, and it is currently sliming up the compost. Anyone know what this stuff is used for? Also, what do I do with a banana blossom (no vulgar remarks, although it is shaped kind of like a buttplug)?

I made crockpot congee yesterday and it turned out very well. Here's a recipe:

In the morning I put 3/4 cups of rice and 9 cups of water in the ol' crockpot. Leave it on low!

About an hour before I wanted to eat I threw in some diced daikon and dried shrimp and turned it to high. When I came back in an hour the crockpot had jizzed out gooey congee everywhere, so if you are going to turn it on high to hurry it up, keep an eye on it. Also, the daikon will make your house smell a little turd-y (smiller was not thrilled with this whole operation).

To serve, ladel into bowls, top with scallion, and mix in preserved tofu. You can add salt to taste as you cook, but preserved tofu is quite salty so keep that in mind. We added a thousand-year-old duck egg and that made it a complete meal.