snowangel

I've used a purchased chinese egg noodle. When I go to the asian grocery in the next couple of days, I'll get another package and give you both brand name and ingredient list. Said noodles are flat and come in two widths -- one slightly narrower than spaghetti and one slightly narrower than linguine. Then, tonight, we had dinner at my folks house with Yuares and Somnuk, who are here from Thailand. Yuares was both an undergrad and graduate student under my father at Kasertsat University in Bangkok (Ag Econ) beginning in 1969 (deep history here). As I described to Yuares the problem I am having with Kao Soi, she suspects that the problem may be the fact that we are not using fresh noodles. Granted the ones I am getting are "fresh" in the sense that they are not dried, but they are in plastic, mass produced. I'll try and get down to United Noodle soonest to see if I can get truely "fresh" noodles and see if it makes a difference. On a further note, do you make your own curry paste for this? If so, what are your ingredients/proportions. If you purchase a canned paste, what are you using? I am on a mission. Perhaps this mission should wait until Diana, Peter and I redeem our gift certificates for trips to Thailand which we will use at some point during the next school year. I hadn't planned on getting to Chieng Mai, but Yuares promises that she knows a couple of places in Bangkok that have terrific Kao Soi, which is a favorite of hers, as well. Comments? I have a feeling that this is a passion shared by only the two of us...

I have started Kao Soi thread, and look forward to your comments on this dish, mamster. As to prepared curry paste. I have had excellent results with canned, with the exception of yellow. For some reason, I think there is something just not quite right with the yellow, which is Diana's favorite, so I guess it's back to the mortar and pestle. Fortunately, there are two wonderful Asian (primarily Thai/Hmong) groceries in my area -- one 6 blocks away and one 10 blocks away.

Let's talk Kao Soi. I love the stuff. At least I love the stuff you can get in Chieng Mai. I've not had adequate Kao Soi anywhere in the Twin Cities, and we have some fab Thai food. I had my first Kao Soi at age 9 in Chieng Mai, and our semi-annual trips always included many Kao Soi meals. It is one of my favorite foods. I had it often enough that I'm trusting that my love of this dish is not jaded by any one particular personal experience. Does anyone make it at home? If so, homemade curry paste or purchased? Advice? I will try the recipe from Thai Food soon, unless someone else has other advice.

African/German -- Nut Roll (Peanut soup with kielbasa) Norwegian/Chinese -- Norske Jaodzie (lutefisk-filled jaodze) Inuit/Thai -- Lard Larp (Blubber Larp) Entomophagy/French -- Crude Crudities (crispy fried worms and cornichones)

So let's talk Kao Soi, unless that falls under a different category. I'm about to try making it myself, since none of the ones I've had have ever equalled the Kao Soi in Chieng Mai.

Absolutely right, Jason, I used to do work with them... and have used many, many of their products over the years - as a matter of fact, last time I was in NJ I stocked up at Extra... All I was saying is that the "adobo" they have is more of a Latin thing - it does give good taste though... have you tried the one with cumin? Marinate chicken legs in this adobo and olive oil, then BBQ.... I've used it over the years for different things -- the traditional one with cumin makes a great spice rub for steaks and carne asada. I'll get some tomorrow; assume I can get this at my great Mexican grocery store?

this is one of my favorite dishes. i often make it sans meat. just long beans, or asparagus, as a side (using canned paste makes it a quick and easy way to make a flavorful side dish). are you making the curry from scratch? I am making it from scratch this time; I have often used the canned Maesri brand which is just fine. I'm using the recipe from Thai Food, but did change the paste ingredients slightly and went a lot lighter on the dried shrimp, which I prefer. In fact, I hadn't made it from scratch until I got this cookbook. Interesting to note that the canned pastes for this curry do not include dried shrimp or shrimp paste. Torakris, check page 297 of Thai Food. I used hand chopped pork (not much), not wild boar (just didn't get out hunting today). Yes, it is good sans meat, and I've also used harcourts verts (sp?). Pretty much any kind of skinny green beans, but I do love the long beans. This one is great cold or at room temp -- it doesn't congeal like a coconut milk curry does.

Time for the curry thread to come back to the top. I'm making prik khing curry tonight. It's a "dry" red curry with ground or shredded pork and long beans. Garnish with lime leaves, holy basil, whatever. The long beans at my local asian market just looked beautiful today and this is one of my favorite dishes.

I may be opening a can of worms here, but I dislike the term "authentic." My previous neighbors, also from Mexico, made carne asada, but using a slightly different technique and marinade ingredients than my current neighbors. Does that make either one of them less or more authentic? Or any less "authentic" than carne asada eaten in Mexico? Perhaps someone with more experience in Mexico would care to comment.

Yup. They puree the ingredients (lots of time just peppers; if it's green, they might add one tomatillo) and fry it in a little bit of oil so it thickens. It is served room temp, not hot. I don't think they ever use cilantro in it -- but they always do in pico.

My next door neighbors (from Mexico) often make carne asada. Thin (really thin) skirt steak (I'm not sure if it's pounded) marinated in lime, tequila, oregano. Salt and pepper before grilling. Grill is really hot, flip, flip, and it's done. All of the Mexican groceries here sell the really thin skirt steak, and I'll have to ask next time I'm in if they pound it before selling. Their rice is sort of like the one Jess mentions, except they don't use water, they use chicken broth (probably bullion cubes). Beans, guac, pico, and a "fried" salsa that is, I believe, 100% pureed peppers. Super fresh (usually homemade tortillas). They always pass plates over to us (I reciprocate just as often), and if it is part of a party, they invite us. Because they so often make and share it, I never make it, but then again, I don't think they ever make larb!

Kitchen linens from the 20's-40's, including some crocheted potholders in odd shapes, flower shapes (complete with petals), cooks, aprons, etc (yes, all of these are potholders). Plus some embroidered and appliqued linen tea towels, some of which are rather "risque," considering that my grandmother made them!

Garnish with bacon rosettes?

After repeated begging for a lunch date, I agree. At the appointed hour, 11:45 am to be exact, I cross the street from my house and enter the hallowed halls of Jenny Lind Elementary School. The floors are white speckled concrete, nice and shiny. The cement block hallways are lined with announcements, artwork, posters. I meet my date, Peter (age 7) at the junction of the hallway to the cafeteria. The tables, each with a brightly colored formicas top, are picnic style, and fortunately, adult-sized. At the end of each table is a laminated sign indicating which class numbers are assigned to each table. Staffing is minimal, primarily present to ensure a quiet, controlled environment. Self-service would be the order of the day. We stand in line. The aide at the door reminds us to keep our hands at our side, and be quiet. An outburst puts one back at the end of the line. The line progresses and we are each given a tray. Peter instructs me that today is pizza day. This is not the plop of glop on a plate administered by The Lunch Lady of my youth. The pizza comes in a cellophane wrapper; it has been at the bottom of the pile, so is slightly squished, but it is warm. The next station has little plastic trays, again with a cellophane cover, containing shredded iceberg lettuce and a few carrot and purple cabbage strands. The dressing is ala fast food, in a pouch, and of the white, ranchy variety. Dessert is a few small sugar wafers in yet another cellophane package. The presentation does leave something to be desired, although the salad was colorful, and the cookie pouch did have an attractive assortment of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. The meal is prepaid (by me; my date is not only short, he's broke), and Peter punches in his PIN number twice to indicate purchase of two lunches (I didn’t have my first pin number until I was in my mid-30’s). Lunch proved to be less about the food than the educational aspect. The students tell me how to use the handle end of my “spork” (fork/spoon combo) to scrape the cheese off the cellophane and back onto my pizza, or it can be fun to roll the cheese up, and eat it before you eat the crust. I am also instructed exactly how to lick off the handle to avoid cutting my tongue. The bits of cellophane still attached provide an interesting textural contrast to the spongy dough and stringy cheese. For salad, I am informed that the fastest way is to shove a handful of lettuce into one’s mouth and then squirt salad dressing in. But, Tony Vang informs me, don’t pick your nose first or it might get mixed in with the salad. Sound advice. This is all washed down with Kemps very best chocolate milk, the overwhelming favorite of the first graders in room 102. We clear our own tables, and the student of the day in each class brings over a squirt bottle and paper towel to clean the table. Then, it’s recess!

Trust, maggie, that just as soon as you get the recipe, you will pull out the kitchenaide, mix, bake and report. I don't, however, envision it looking quite like Princess Heidi's Coconut Layer Cake...

Aqua Net is best for this, I've found. For food/grease stains, I often wet the item with lukewarm water, smear with Dawn dishwashing detergent, put in a plastic bag and stick in the fridge. Why, you ask, put in the fridge? Well, it is often not very convenient to wash the item right away, and fridging prevents mildew. And, it seems as tho if you give the Dawn some time to work, it does an even better job of stain removal. I've never used Spray & Wash or any of those things simply because I never think to buy them, but always have Dawn around. Reminds me of how my grandmother would take the stuff that needed ironing off the line when still damp, put in plastic and put in the freezer or fridge if she wasn't going to iron right away. She usually had a shelf full of frozen "ironing in waiting."

The turkey was great; thanks for all for advice. The party was even better. Rule of thumb. Don't drink so much beer while grilling that you don't recognize the guests. All sides from the recipe archive (ok, so one of them was contributed by me). We had such a good time that a few of our guests are asleep in the family room. Guest of honor, Heidi, now 9, passed out one someone's lap at midnight. Carried to bed without moving a muscle. Good thing she only weighs 43 lbs. As a side note, I got a fresh turkey from my local butcher. When I wondered how in the hell I was going to brine the thing (I had a pot big enough, but not enough fridge space, my butcher offered some cooler space for the brining bird, which I picked up early this morning. Full service butcher. All I did was bring the sugar, salt and pot with instructions as to amount of water and what time to start brining. It's a good thing when one is on a first name basis with the butcher, and it sure doesn't hurt when 2 of his kids went to high school with your husband.)

Rachel, I'm a master at comebacks to a nitpicky mother. :) I think you should appeal to her desire for safety.... with half the trips, there's half the chance of an accident... You've slashed that risk in two! (Sure, ok, the hot water trip is obviously the more dangerous one, but don't mention that part.) Another tactic would be "resale" value. "We were told that this could be a real selling point to an affluent buyer..." Your kitchen is beautiful. And, I love the fact that you keep the stuff out (small appliances, condiments) that you use most often. When I see pictures in magazines, I always wonder "so what do they do with their stuff? Do they not have any stuff?"

As any 7 year old boy would say "this is way cool," and I agree. Doesn't take much, does it? Depending on age of kid, my money is on said child. On another note. I stink. There is serious dirt under my fingernails and toenails, and my feet are dirty. I have scratched dirt out of my hair. The rest of me doesn't look much better, but it is all in. After several years of no veggie garden (playground stuff for the kids, no time because of breastfeeding and diapers), the folks that live behind me on the other side of the alley offered me their garden space in exchange for a few tomatoes. Ed and Donna are "getting up there," and Ed has been having multiple health problems, and as they saw the weeds abound, Donna suggested that they offer the space to me. Best part of all is that they will water and pick when we escape to the cabin. Win-win deal, in my book. In the midst of the most glorious spring in Minnesota in years -- days upon days of clear, bright, sunny days in the upper 60's and lower 70's, with rain only at night, it was a pleasure to work the compost in, dig the holes and set the plants in just the right spots. Peter did a masterful job planting the bean seeds, and sprinkling basil seeds here and there. Plants included tomatoes (several varieties), beans (harcourts), brussels sprouts, pumpkins, greens. We added a mess of herbs and greens to the holes in my flower gardens. It is supposed to rain late tonight and part of tomorrow morning, so the timing is perfect. In fact, I think I hear the first raindrops on the awning over the front door. Peter and I will spend the next many mornings getting up at first light and running out the back door to see just what has popped up and just how much things have grown. Yes, the traditions continue, as passed on from generation to generation in my family. The early morning spring to check things out, and then coffee under the pergola (actually, the pergola is a new tradition, started by me, but it is a perfect place to sit and hear things grow). Dirt (or dog hair). Growing. Life is really good.

I note the same thing in Minneapolis with the Hmong population. The parents and grandparents, raised "in thehills" are far smaller than their chidren and grandchildren, the latter born and raised in the U. S. Question: I know that when I lived in Bangkok, delivery food (as in noodle, fruit, stir-fry, etc. carts traversing the streets, ringing their bells, stopping at houses as residents trundled out with their bowls; this would not be deliver of the "phone for pizza" variety) was a way of life. Does this exist in China? I remember well how much my sister and I loved the nights my parents were out at a party and we'd wait for a particular bell and run out with our bowls for baa mi.

Today (Wed.) was Heidi's birthday. She's 9, cute, cute, cute, with a body built for lycra. She absolutely adores towering white creations, so it was the Coconut Layer cake from The Perfect Cake for Her Day. She had 3+ pieces. A body built for lycra can handle 3 pieces. No one, least of all Heidi, was in the least bit disappointed. One cake, 5 people, maybe 3 pieces left. Guess what's for breakfast? Yes, towering white creations have a place and are a good thing. How long has it been since you had a coconut layer cake? P. S. I should also note that dinner consisted of her favorite foods: deviled eggs and brie. She likes her deviled eggs lightly topped with blue cheese. Yum. Balanced; no. Good; yes.

I also recall eating a couple of what I would call "composed salads" at a now-defunct Chinese restaurant in Bangkok called Wise Men. I don't know how authentic they were, but the most certainly did not feature lettuce (other than maybe as a garnish or a plate liner). They were more on the order of salad nicoise than what most American's think of as salad (tossed). This is many years ago, but I recall an array of julienned vegetables and duck with a sauce. I also recall some lettuce wrapped things at this restaurant, but those would not, in my estimation, be considered salads.

I'll dig out my grandmother's recipe and post it tomorrow.

My husband used to wonder why there is always at least two cookbooks on my night stand, and was often puzzled when he'd awaken and find me asleep, night light on, book on chest. He no longer asks why, he just knows that I like to read them. In fact, I'm hard pressed to buy a cookbook that is not a good read.

Aren't eggs just wonderful? I recall a few years ago saying to Paul that "the larder is bare." When he commented that it looked like we had plenty of food, I told him "but we don't have any eggs!" I can't think of a working mom who hasn't resorted to eggs (frittata, a Thai omelet, fried eggs on toast) for a really fast dinner. I could give up many, many foods (I would miss them, tho), but I don't think I could live without eggs.