Stir-fried TV

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Stir-fried chicken and mushrooms with egg noodles tonight, which makes me think back to the 'seventies and Sergeant Bilko. The Phil Silver Show only ran - originally in the States - from 1955 to 1959: just 143 episodes: but like Tom & Jerry, took cult viewing hold over here in the UK through endless TV repeats over a couple of decades. The Bilko connection I suppose is the antediluvian equivalent of Love Island or whatever: a roomful of lads watching - in this case already antique - TV, eating takeaway Chinese after a skinful in the pub. [Again an antediluvian concept - does anyone actually go out any more?]

Yep, the first Chinese food I ever tasted was in exactly this context: chicken, pineapple and boiled rice; chicken chow mein; spare ribs: name your number. It’s only in recent years, though that I’ve managed to make a decent stir-fry; which seems counter-intuitive given that on the face of it, it really is a simple cooking technique. It was only when I realized that when they say ‘hot wok’ they really do mean it: damned hot. Stir-fry just don’t work otherwise. Once you get that, stuff starts to make sense, and you begin to get edible food out of it. As it is I’ve only got a one-note repertoire here, but it’s enough to knock out a tasty and healthy meal pretty damn’ sharpish when needed. Pity Bilko’s no longer on TV, though.

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