One of the things that people always complain about when they try to recreate dishes from the places they have been abroad is that it doesn't taste the same, even when you followed the recipe that you had when you were over there.
This was the case for many of the dishes I had in Thailand. One thing that factors into this of course is the quality of travelled ingredients, the availability of properly grown and organic foods and the conditions under which the food is cooked. Then you have the added problem of actually having the right recipe or finding the ingredient you need in your own country.
I however found that there was one very simple thing that could be done to better authenticate the dish - are you ready to hear it?
Tuesday 27 August 2013
BBQ Season: Smoked Belly Pork and Spare Ribs with Tenessee Style Whiskey BBQ sauce
If there is one thing I love, it's gotta be BBQ. There's something that gets my gears going at the though of going back to my cave man roots and grilling meat outside - to the extent that I was banned from doing BBQ more than twice a week by my girlfriend and one point because that was pretty much all we ate! This recipe is one of my all time favourites. I tend to make the sauce twice a year and on special occasions because it is NOT cheap to make by any stretch of the imagination, but it is well worth it !
How MSG and the Instant Noodle murdered food
No matter where you go in the west, the mention of noodles as a meal is seen as cheap student junk food made from instant packets. In the east, instant noodles or "ramen" are sold everywhere very cheaply but looked down upon as being bad not just for your intestine but generally for one's soul.
How could it be that a traditional dish which is so delicious has become the scum of the culinary world?
How could it be that a traditional dish which is so delicious has become the scum of the culinary world?
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| Noodle Bar in Schiphol Airport |
Satay Chicken - What they didn't tell you (Recipe)
I spent many many many years trying to figure out why my chicken satay recipes ended up all wrong - basically every cookbook I had from Thailand tended to overcomplicate things, listing every damn ingredient that was in the dish but failing to mention that most of these ingredients were actually part of a different product, e.g. red curry paste.
This is ridiculously annoying - basically all Thai cookbooks omit either a huge step in the method for making dishes or they forget to mention that you need a particular kind of ingredient. This recipe I finally cracked with the help of some sleuthing and experimentation which over 20 different satay recipes.
Essentially, chicken satay is a common street food in Thailand which is prepared over hot coals by vendors in the street. I absolutely love it done this way, the marinade thickens out and sludges up wonderfully. Having had my BBQ season interrupted by thunderstorms, I decided eventually to make this at home using a grill pan.
This is ridiculously annoying - basically all Thai cookbooks omit either a huge step in the method for making dishes or they forget to mention that you need a particular kind of ingredient. This recipe I finally cracked with the help of some sleuthing and experimentation which over 20 different satay recipes.
Essentially, chicken satay is a common street food in Thailand which is prepared over hot coals by vendors in the street. I absolutely love it done this way, the marinade thickens out and sludges up wonderfully. Having had my BBQ season interrupted by thunderstorms, I decided eventually to make this at home using a grill pan.