Wok's Happ'ning and the Impulse Purchase of Fire

Sometimes, when I am really lucky, the fabulous Mr M comes to the nursery with with me (mostly because it is on the way to the grog shop and we make it a fun combined adventure of plants and plonk.) The last time we made this journey I bought a few tomatoes, which I will post about soon as part of the Spring awakening of the balcony garden. He also convinced me (not that it took a lot of work) to impulse buy this little number.

A Habanero! Now I already have a chilli bush, which gives an abundance of reasonably hot chillis throughout the year. He is a little put out at the moment and the chillis are shrivelling, though new leaves are coming through and he should last another summer at least (this will be his third and yes he too was an impulse buy long ago.)

I am also not the world's biggest chilli fan. While I adore the taste, a milder version is always my tendancy. This has been a long-time thing, and I can prove it. Everytime I go back to Adelaide I pop out to lunch with my Dad to this fabulous place called Wok's Happ'ning. The wonderful guy who runs this place still knows my order, which has remained unchanged since about 2001, Kway Teow, no beanshoots, and be a bit mild with the chilli! What's more embarassing is that I even have the same wine, a Babbich Sav Blanc, or equivalent, the wine menu obivously alters with seasonality. Such a creature of habit, but when something is this good, why go outside the square? Do visit this Hutt Street restaurant if you are ever in Adelaide; the food, service and wine are just sublime. I hope to visit again when I go back in a few weeks and treat my Dad to a lovely, longish lunch. But if you go for takeaway don't forget to bring your green bag or it will be an interesting balancing act on the walk home!) Ok enough of the ranting, I am now craving a KT so much that I am having trouble writing. Darn the 736 Kms in between! Back to the impulse purchase of a habanero.

I actually have been trying to germinate white habanero seeds over the recents weeks but with no avail. Two tries, to abysmal failures. I blame coolish weather, fungus gnats, and ineptitude. This weekend will be my final attempt, and I will try the hot water bath method to see if that kick starts the germination, otherwise it'll just have to be the orange variety for now. I am almost too scared to cook with habanero as I am fairly sure I am uncoordinated enough to get it in my eyes, and to put way way way too much in and burn the insides of everyone eating. Still it is always fun to experiment, both in the kitchen and in the garden.

Yay for impulse buys and maybe once the habaneros are fully grown we can enjoy them with one of Mr M's impulse wine purchases. Or a Sav Blanc, whichever is easiest. :)