KennethT

gorgeous!!

Just looking at the photos above, I can feel the humidity seeping into me... I say as it is currently 25% RH indoors right now....

Yes, chaotic is a good word to describe BKK. While there may be tons of Thailand travel blogs on the internet, none of them are yours! So I, for one, would be very happy to see as much as you're willing to post as possible.

I haven't steamed anything for 2 hours, but have had the steamer running for 45 minutes or so with no problems. Like @rotuts said, make sure you keep an eye on the reservoir and the drip tray!

I use my CSO as a steamer all the time - steamed whole fish, you name it. I usually just do steam at 210F but I haven't really thought about it.

hmmm.... I'll have to broach the subject and see if she'll be willing to take one for the team... maybe it would help if I shouted "Satay!!! Chicken Wing" with a thick Singaporean accent while standing in the kitchen.... and turn up the thermostat to 85F

Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to live this cookoff vicariously - my wife is not a huge fan of wings or dealing with bones much at all. So unless I debone them, which I DEFINITELY don't have time for, she won't be too happy about it - mind you, she'd never complain, but she just won't eat much of it. She's also not a huge fan of chicken skin, mostly for health reasons, and only indulge if they're perfectly rendered and crisp - so that puts a bit more pressure on me! Then again, she did tear into some amazing chicken wings we had at the satay club area of the East Coast Food Lagoon Village in Singapore, but I wonder if part of the appeal was hearing the hawkers shouting "Satay!! Chicken Wing!!!!" Those wings were marinated and deep fried with no batter or breading. The skin was crisp and amazing... I'm drooling just remembering it.

Many Indian recipes that I've seen (from India) use a ginger/garlic paste. Cut the ginger into chunks if tender or large dice if not so much and bash in a mortar/pestle. Heavy cream is typical in Northern Indian recipes - which are the most common in the US. But southern Indian food uses a lot of coconut milk... and curry leaves.

While it was invented in the UK (I assume London), it has definitely been here in the US for a long time. So you'll definitely see US Indian cookbooks with it - but I imagine that the measurements wouldn't be in grams.

I made the sad face because it's sad that I can't get those prices here!

Yeah, I found that out the hard way - I was there a week or two ago and sucked it up and paid full price... Next time I'll head to Chinatown to check out what they've got. I haven't been to a Chinatown meat market in a long time.

Duck prices here are much more than chicken. I wish I could get cheap duck. The cheapest I can get is sometimes at a local farmer's market where a duck farmer has legs on sale - it's $5 for 2 relatively small legs - probably about 1-1/4 pounds total. That's when on sale. Duck breast is significantly more - liek $15-20 per pound. Whole duck is about $5 a pound but there is a lot of stuff you pay for on a whole bird that isn't used, or goes into stock, which while fantastic, $5 per pound for backs and other carcass is more than what I'd be happy to pay. I have never seen duck wings only. I wonder what happens to them since they sell breasts and legs individually?

@Duvel@TicTacIn the US (and other places maybe?), unless the packaging says "air chilled", the chicken is chilled post slaughter in a brine. If you ever see a video of a standard chicken processing plant, the chickens are transported from the slaughter/defeather area to further processing in a river of chilled brine. So, as the chicken cools, it also absorbs some of that brine, hence the disclaimer. Some of this brine weeps out while sitting on the grocery store shelf, hence the need for the diaper at the bottom of the package, but some stays in the meat. Personally, I go for air chilled chicken every time. Not only are there no additives, but there is also a much lower chance of contamination by bacteria since it hasn't been in a communal brine river with entrails, etc. But it's more expensive, and many people don't necessarily have the option of choice.

For those in the US, Wild Fork Foods currently has antibiotic free, air chilled wings for $3.18/lb... and if you want the stuff with up to 15% chicken broth/carrageenan/etc, it's like $2.28 per pound

In China, is it mandatory to have an ingredient list (verified by a 3rd party) on the label as it is in many countries in the West?

How was their po boy bread?

That sounds really good. Thank you!

My wife brings in COR oo from Fresh Direct all the time. I don't think she's ever tried the new harvest though - and I don't know if FD carries it.

An update on my curry leaf tree. It seems like it is much happier after my root trimming and agressive pruning. Lots of new growth buds happening!

This came in a little while ago from the south of France I'm excited to try this olive oil, but i have no idea what to do with the salt/herb de provence grinder. Many years ago I used herbs de provence a lot, but I've been out of the habit.

I'm sure @Duvel will do a fantastic job!

Thanks for this @Chris Hennes. I haven't been back to NO in what feels like forever - your trip is giving me the itch to get back there!

some things don't dissolve easily, so you could be there stirring for a while. When I mix hydroponic nutrients, I use a submersible pump in the reservoir to stir the water - makes life a lot easier - but that's for making 30 gallons. If I only did a liter or so, I'd use a magnetic stirrer.

If you want to dissolve stuff in it you do

That's awesome... Did you pack your gaiwan also?