Text 18173, 117 rader
Skriven 2011-11-23 18:07:00 av Dave Drum (56759.cooking)
     Kommentar till en text av Glen Jamieson (56688.cooking)
Ärende: AUTHENTIC
=================
-=> Glen Jamieson wrote to Dave Drum <=-

 DD> Not all Thai dishes are "light you up" fiery. However, where there is
 GJ> I like the "ginger fish", which is normally very mild.

 DD> As are Pad Thai and Pad Wunsen (woonsen, woon sen)

 GJ> Which makes them favourites for people who are uncertain of the degree
 GJ> of "phet" of unknown items on the menu.

Nearly all Thai/Indonesian/Lao venues I have visited have a container of ground
red chile and a squeeze bottle of (the equivalent of) Who Flung Foo Rooster
Sauce (Sriracha) to add heat if needed. It's a whole lot easier to add heat
than to take it away.   Bv)=
 
 DD> a choice of heat levels, asking for hot has not served me well in past
 DD> as most places (except for a couple of favourites) have this
 DD> predisposition to thinking that *all* round-eyes are chile wusses.
 DD> Bv)=  I have found that asking for the dish (where there is a choice of
 DD> heat levels) to be "phet phet" works a treat.

 GJ> Some Thai (and Indian) restaurants here indicate the heat level on the
 GJ> menu by the number of chilies shown on the menu alongside each dish.
 GJ> That is a fairly reliable system.

 DD> So long as everyone knows/agrees with fair accuracy what each chile
 DD> means - which can vary from venue to venue.   Bv)=  One man's mild is
 DD> another's "incendiary"

 GJ> That method can vary between restaurants, but it does give relative
 GJ> gradings of items within the menu of each restaurant, which is useful.

I'd still want to try something of "medium" indicated heat level first - just
to see where their personal levels are.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Nam Prik Makham Piag (Sour Tamarind Dip)
 Categories: Sauces, Dips, Chilies, Seafood
      Yield: 1 pint
 
      1 c  Makham piag (sour tamarind)
           - paste
    1/4 c  Kung haeng (dried shrimp)
    1/4 c  Hom daeng (shallots);
           - chopped
      2 tb Kratiem (garlic); chopped
      2 tb Nam pla (fish sauce)
      1 tb Prik ki nu haeng daeng
           - (dried red chilies)
      1 ts Kapi (fermented shrimp paste
      1 ts Nam tan paep (palm sugar)
 
  This dip is made from mature, or brown, sour tamarind.
  This should be peeled before use, and the fibrous strands
  within the pod, and the seeds of the fruit discarded. You
  may also buy tamarind in a compressed block, and this is
  equally suitable.
  
  This recipe is an example of Thai unwillingness to let
  anything go to waste: tamarind water is used as an
  ingredient of many dishes, and is prepared as shown below.
  Yet this dip is something to use the tamarind paste that
  otherwise might be discarded. In general we make tamarind
  juice (nam makham piag), when we need to use it. All that
  is required is to store the paste in a jar until you have
  enough to make the dip. However don't make the mistake we
  did once of using a Tupperware container to store the
  paste - the tamarind stained it and we were never able to
  get it clean. Use a glass preserving jar and keep it in
  the refrigerator.
  
  Method: Place two tablespoons of tamarind paste (3 if the
  seeds are still in place) in a jug, and pour 1 cup of
  boiling water over it. Leave to steep for 15 minutes, then
  mash thoroughly and leave to steep for a further 15
  minutes.
  
  Pour the mixture through a muslin bag, and squeeze
  thoroughly to extract as much juice as possible. The juice
  is nam makham piag (tamarind juice), and may be used in
  other recipes. Ensure that you discard any remaining seeds
  or fibrous material from the pulp and reserve it. You need
  1 cup of "exhausted" tamarind pulp for this recipe.
  
  Pound the shrimp in a mortar and pestle.
  
  Dry fry the chilies until aromatic, then crush.
  
  Place the shallots and garlic, unskinned, under the grill
  or broiler, and toast until aromatic and the skins begin
  to discolor, then peel and chop. After preparation you
  should have the quantities listed.
  
  Fry the shrimp paste in a very small amount of oil until
  aromatic.
  
  Combine the ingredients and grind to a smooth paste in a
  mortar and pestle (or food processor), then fold in the
  tamarind paste.
  
  Serving & Storage: Accompanies fish dishes or vegetable
  crudities. Will keep 2-3 weeks in a refrigerator.
 
  Posted to CHILE-HEADS DIGEST V3 #148
  
  Colonel Ian F. Khuntilanont-Philpott; Systems Engineering,
  Vongchavalitkul University, Korat 30000, Thailand
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

MMMMM

... All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others - Orwell
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