snowangel

I can get fried tofu at my market very easily. Actually, they are fried cakes, so when I cut them into strips, two sides aren't fried, but I just put them in first and press the unfried sides onto the pan. One hint for tofu in pad thai. Put the cake in a bowl and put a weight on top of it. Even with the extra firm tofu, you'd be amazed at how much water comes out.

The idea of adding pickled something leaves me scratching my head. I've got some books reserved at the library which I'll pick up tomorrow. I'll look for the pickled stuff in recipes. And, I'm off to my Asian market tomorrow or Tuesday and I'll take a look at all of the salted stuff they have, as well.

Just checked my package of salted radish. Imported from Bangkok. Ingredients: radish, salt. But, I never know how much to trust those pasted in nutritional/ingredient lists on packages that have very little other english. Sort of like the Tiparos nam pla. When I get the stuff that has the english word "Tiparos," the ingredient list includes sugar. When I get the stuff with the formal label containint nothing other than Thai, and the ingredient/nutrition label a plain white piece of seemingly photocopied paper in English, it contains no sugar.?????

Well, Linda, now that you are retired... Anyway, I always use just the salted radish. Maybe I should seek out the sweetened salted radish and see what it does.

fifi, if they are going to go south, roast them now, grind and store in the fridge. And, yes, if you include the seeds, they will be hotter than hell. If you eliminate the seeds, they will be as hot as hell. This is on the menu next week. I'm prepping for a big ass brisket right now.

Add the heat at the table with fresh chilis. It is what I do, or Heidi wouldn't touch it!

There's no way even half of this beast is going to fit into a 2 gallon. It is a monster. Diana and my dad stopped at a middle eastern market they other day. On my list was sumac. I haven't opened up the package to sample it, but I don't have a clue about it either. But, if Klink suggested it, so be it. I had his brisket, served up by him. None the less, the smallest package they had was 1 lb.

Two words. Holy Shit. Make that a few more words. What do you mean it doesn't look like much has happened! Bet you are thinking that that "interim kitchen" is looking pretty paltry, and you are aching to cook big time!

So, I'm used to the Kettle. Know about the disposable pans. Can control temp. But, I'm thinking dinner at 6:30 pm on Sunday night. Start drinking beer at 6:30 am Sunday morning? I'd better rethink this whole thing. Smoke on Saturday. So, how do I reheat the damed stuff so I get some that nice crispy stuff? Or, do I put Paul in charge on Sunday afternoon and go and take a nap and sleep it off? Rub, it will be, on half of the beast. So, let's talk rubs. ANy fav's out there? I was thinking of the one Klink mentioned in his Smoking Meat At Home class on ECI.

My husband is a wonderful man. Really. But, I did catch him attempting to put my prized knives into the dishwasher, in the silverware basket, stuffed in, POINT DOWN! I also caught him about to use one of my best knives, recently sharpened, on the granite counter. I want knives that zap those that don't worship them like I do.

I think I'll do rub in half of it and leave the other half naked. Yes, I'll drink some beer, but not when I start smoking (Sunday morning). Or, is beer the breakfast of smokers?

I could also use a fridge and cupboards that automatically ejects those boxes, jars, etc. that only have a couple of drops or crumbs. The ones my family can't seem to see fit to let me know are basically empty...

I smoke pork shoulders fairly often, and never do a dry rub. My kids love the pure smoky flavor. Nor do I use a rub when I'm smoking poultry. So, I'm smoking a brisket on Sunday. The thing is huge. Over 18 lbs (this thing weighs more than the birth weights of all three of my kids -- combined) and just over 20" long, so I'm going to have to cut it in half to get it on the kettle. I'm debating a dry rub, on the whole, or half of it. What are your thoughts on dry rubs for meat to be smoked?

Rochelle, sounds like sort of a nightmare! But, how did the girls like the chicken? You?

I've said it before. I want a self cleaning kitchen floor. A maid would be handy, too.

Will you take it from me? Born in Florida. Several years in College Station, TX. A couple in Nigeria. Many in Thailand. Now (hanging head) a yank in Minnesota. Brooks, give it a try. So you can tell us how much more wonderful Dorothy's is.

Why soffits? Why not cupboard space right up to the top of the ceiling? So, you need a stepstool to get to the stuff, even if you're tall. That's valuable space that's wasted on air! I really don't understand soffits unless they are there to hide something.

Did the Real Thai recipe have vinegar? If you don't have tamarind paste, substituting rice vinegar is perfectly acceptable.

Back to the nuts. If I were going to substitute something for peanuts, I'd be most likely to use cashews. There are a number of Thai dishes that use cashews and I don't recall ever seeing macadamias or almonds as an ingredient in Thai food.

At least four times a month, I put a pan with a long handle on the oven. Every time I put it in, I lay potholders on the counter. I remind myself every time to pick up potholders before removing pan. At least twice a month, I forget the potholders. But, I wonder why I always remember the potholders when it is a casserole or something with little tiny handles, and never remember them when the handle is long.

I know in Thailand that I had pad thai with chicken. I had it with pork. I had it with shrimp. I don't recall ever having it with beef. Since Heidi horks every time she eats shrimp, I use chicken. I like bonless thighs, but boneless breasts would work, too.

If you're going to go no peanuts (last time I made them, I checked the bag of peanuts, which was empty -- thank you family, for once again putting an empty container back into the cupboard ), so I served it with lime wedges and a little dish of rice vinegar with sliced bird chilies, and it was just fine. Yes, I missed the peanuts, but if you've never had it with peanuts, you wouldn't miss them, I think. These are traditional accompaniments at the holes in the wall that sell pad thai in Bangkok.

I guess another of my problems with the noodles is that they are all broken up by the time the dish is done. They aren't the long, silky looking strands you see in the cookbooks, or that I ate lo those many years ago in Bangkok. I've also perused Mamster's recipe, as well as those in the Thai/SE Asian cookbooks I own (3 total) and realize that there is some difference in which the order of ingredients are added to the pan. As well, there seems to be some difference on whether the sauce is just tamarind and nam pla, just rice vinegar and nam pla or a combination of all three. And, as I recall from the almost 10 years I lived in Thailand, "authentic" pad thai is in the eye of the beholder. They were all slightly different. Slightly different taste, slightly diferent widths of noodles, and had I paid more attention than a teenage girl would while the cook was cooking, I have no doubt I would have noted different cooking techiniques with every different dish.

So I've just reserved every Thai cook book our library system has to offer. And, asked my mother to reserve every one my library system doesn't have that her's has. I hope someone else will chime in on internet sources. I can get fresh rice noodles and everything else within a bike ride (a long bike ride, mind you) from my house). I happen to have everything I need, with the exception of the fresh stuff, at my house at the present time. BTW, the "preserved radish" referred to in Mamster's recipe is sold here in plastic bag packages as "salted radish." I'll take some pictures of ingredients that I can easily find in the next couple of days. My family loves pad thai. I just have a lot of trouble with the rice noodles. They tend to be either stiff or mush. I need help!

Time to add the Fried Chicken thread to the Hall of Fame. I think this one will see much activity over the years. Reminds me that it is time to make Larb again and bring this topic back to the forefront.