Hadrian1

14 years isn't that much difference! That's exactly the age difference between my grandparents in the UK. He was 42 when he married his wife of 28 years. He live for 7 years after she passed away. I don't know your or your wife's background Sunreader......but I think that Thais and Westerners will be able to spot if it's a farang bar-girl thing or not. Sorry if that sounds snobby. Anyway, everybody deserves a chance or a second chance and at the end of the day.....as long as the couple are happy together it shouldn't really matter should it. Good luck to you but can't you change your name?

I understand that water buffalo milk is excellent for making I believe Morzarella cheese. There are a few herds in the UK for this purpose. I passed one in west Wales and I asked a local farmer why they were being farmed. He told me that the farmer was getting 49p per litre for the milk as opposed to just over 20p for the normal Friesian/Holstein cattle milk.

Phad Thai

Chicken Mussaman Curry

Green Curry

Phad Kapraw Pork

Som Tham

and this.....

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Pad-Thai-t129907.html

Incicentally, a Thai friend reckons it's Yam cai daw (sp). I saw them make it and it seemed really easy and by the queues was very popular but hot....but that can be modified.

I have mentioned before on this forum about a Mussaman Curry I used to eat in Thailand. This lady....a street vendor only used to make it on Sundays for some reason. She used to laugh when she saw me religiously turn up at hers for my 'Sunday Dinner'. It was the closest Thai meal I think I ate to an Indian Curry found in a UK restaurant. The sauce was pretty thick. It was heaven on a plate. Would one of your local Thai restaurants make such a nice Mussaman.....? I visited a Thai restaurant recently in the UK.....there aren't many close to where I live.....and I found the Curries the owner made much sweeter than what I remember in Thailand. I think I am quite sensitive to this as I havn't a sweet tooth and rarely eat desert even. I spoke to the Thai restauranteer about this and she said that I was so untypical of Europeans who she claimed like sweetness. I am not sure she is 100% correct here. Her Jungle Curry was nicer....I don't suppose she could make that so sweet. Sorry I digressed a little.

Oh yes.....Penang Curry should have a think sauce too.

hi all,

i've been trying to make som tam over the last few weeks here in usa, and i've done everything to the book with three different papayas and different times. i keep getting this nasty, bitter, orange-peel like taste in the som tam everytime, and i know that it's not right because i've never tasted it before in thailand or in thai restaurants here in usa. I checked everything- i ate a papaya shred raw- no problem there, the limes are fresh, tomatoes are fresh, fish sauce is fresh, etc., everything is new and tastes fine on itself, but when i combine them, i get that bitter taste, like i said, most akin to gnawing on an orange peel after brushing your teeth or something...

Maybe the exported papayas are just too old or something? i'm eating my latest version now, this one tastes better, i used a smaller papaya this time, but i still taste it a little.

Are you using Tamarind in it?

The two dishes I salivate over when thinking of my time in Thailand are:

Som Tam (the salad already mentioned her) and a Chicken Massaman Curry I used to eat every Sunday afternoon because that's the only time this particular street vendor near to my home made it.

A nice Thai Green curry is also one to be eaten.

There are of course many more.....

Maybe you should use a pestal and mortar as opposed to your hands. Although I am not sure how you can make papaya salad without using a pestal and mortar.

my thai husband does a big shop at wing yip Croydon every 2 months or so & stocks up on veg, basil & tofu, he then prepares & then freezes it in sealed tupperware boxes & it keeps surprisingly well. Just clean & chop the veg into he sizes you would cook with then you can just take out what you need. Oh & cook from frozen too, defrosting then cooking leaves most veg wilted.

Thank you all for your replies. Does your husband manage to freeze egg plants in this way too?

I grew my own chillies this year.....Thai, Japapeno, Cayenne, and Green Peppers. They all produced Chillies/Peppers from seed and it was a particularly bad year in the UK being very wet. My aubergines weren't at all successfull. I don't have a glass house but started them off in the conservatory. I panted in April which I think was too late as they take quite a while to grow and ripen.

I bought some dried galangal in Thailand once. What is that used for? Do you have to rehydrate it. It was solid.

Hi,

I live in the UK and far from any oriental shops. I was just wandering if I bought some vegetables either on-line of when I next visit a town with an Asian shop would I be able to freeze some of the vegetables I buy without spoiling them. I was thinking of getting:

Aubergines,

Green Peppercorns,

Galangal,

Wild Ginger

Or might somebody here have other suggestions on how to keep these 'fresh' for a minimum of a few weeks?

I read on another forum that this guy buys ginger root.....and the stuff that he has left over he simply shreds and puts in bag and then freezes. Could one put them into some kind of preservative?

Thank you.

Is the English name for it Geng Gai? Does anybody have a recipe for it? Thanks......

Sorry, I meant.....Wat is the Thai name for it? Is it Geng Gai if with Chicken?

Thank you both for your answers.

Is the English name for it Geng Gai? Does anybody have a recipe for it? Thanks......

It basically says to chop up a few cloves of garlic and some chillies, stir-ry in oil for a while, then throw in the chopped "makhuea" (eggplant-like veggies). When they start to get soft, add minced pork, stir-frying until it's cooked. Add water as you stir-fry if it starts to get too dry. Follow with some oyster sauce, fish sauce, Knorr seasoning, and sugar. For a more gooey texture add flour mixed with cold water. Throw in the "horapa" leaves last.

Siamesekitty,

The horapa is a kind of Basil leaf isn't it? I think I heard this cook mention it on a radio programme when he was making Green Curry. I think he said it had a kind of clove type odour? Is it the same as Thai sweet basil?

Wandee seems good, I was considering taking their professional cook course. I called them and found that their schedule is very flexible, each student has his/her own cooking station, and the instructor walks around observing the students as they prepare the food, and provides individual instruction if you're having trouble. You also get a proper certificate from the Ministry of Education, in English. However, as mentioned above, I believe it is in Thai.

But you could always pay for my course and have me translate for you

What do you mean by your last sentence? Do you mean......pay for the wanadee course and you to translate?

www.wandeethaicooking.com

If teaching in English language is essential, then the above is unsuitable. They state quite clearly on their website that all teaching is in Thai language.

Their longer chef courses are in Thai.......but there are shorter courses.....just a few dishes which are in English but these I wouldn't be suitable for learning to be a chef. It's a real shame. I would be interested in one of those courses too if they were in English

In 1940 gas was 20 cents per gallon. you could purchase 5 gallons for one silver dollar. Today if you take a 1940 silver dollar down to the gas station you can still buy 5 gallons with it!

Thomas Jefferson was concise in his early warning to the American nation, "If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

You have nailed it but your post will be largely ignored. Incredible really.

Agree! The printing presses are working over-time.......

My kids are not rich, but they do burn gasoline and jet fuel.

Sounds like they do! But for how much longer?

Taxes? Well already taxed well enough, remember most people commute fair distance from suburbs via car, no mass transport unless you are in a major city. So naturally oil needs to be low or salaries need to rise to compensate for higher fuel prices.

Oil commodity should be around $50-$75 a barrel, no reason for it to be any higher.

And there in a couple of sentences or so....you see the problem. It's a part of the American dream. However, eventually, people are awoken from their dreams and have to face reality. Long term, it may mean the end of suburban life as we know it today.....in the US and elsewhere.....especially the US.

These used to offer a longer course but I don't know if the school is still being run:

http://www.gourmetthailand.com

I did hear good and not so good reports about them.

I have heard of an Asian cookery school in Canada if that might be of interest.

Let us know if you find something.

Hadrian1 here it is:

Ingredients:

50grams - Thin rice noodles, 2 med prawns (headed, shelled, and devained), 1 shallot finely chopped, 10 grams hard tofu juilenned 1cm long, 1 salted radish finely chopped (5 grams used OTHERWISE toooooo salty , also as a variation try preserved sweet radishes), 5 grams dried shrimps, 3 tbsp water, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 2 teaspoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (just ground red chilies), 1 egg, 15 grams bean sprouts, 10 grams  chinese chives, but into 2cm segments, 1 tbsp roasted peanuts crushed, 1 lime

mix the fish sauce, sugar tamarind paste, vinegar and chile powder together in a little bowl and set aside

on medium heat put half the oil in a wok to fry prawns, once cooked remove and set aside.  

Add remaining oil to the wok, put the noodles and water into the bowl and stir fry until noodles are softened.

Then add the fish sauce, sugar etc....mixture and stir until it's absorbed (it'll look like it's too much liquid but trust me it will be all absorbed in a few minutes )

push noodles to the side of the wok and crack an egg in there and scramble it.  once it's partially cooked (i.e a little runny), scoop the egg on top of the noodles and mix it up. Once combined the put in sprouts and chives and combine well.  

Put in plate and serve with lime wedge, top with the prawns and crushed peanuts.

My mouth is watering thinking about it .  Go to the night market near lumphini park in BKK and go the the outdoor food court, or the food court at MBK, Siam or Emporium and watch them cook.  you'll get the best view at the outdoor food court at lumphini park night market (I forget the name of the market).

It's a simple recipe but you have to get a lot of little ingredients.  It's just as good as the street market food.  I would suggest taking cooking classes in BKK baipai school is awesome and cheap, they even pick you up from your hotel and drop you off after class.....

Good luck!! let me know how it goes!!

Thanks j0hnga1t. I will try making this soon.

Hi,

Has anyone got any updates on what is actually contained in the subject access disclosures from the UK Police? Has anyone who had a minor conviction years ago or a conditional discharge actually applied and received one?

I have recently taken a job and applied for the subject access £10 a go report - I have a very minor conviction for public order back in 1989 and a conditional discharge from 1999 and I'm banking these will not included on the report.

Any insight from those in a similar position much appreciated

cheers

Richie

They will appear on the subject access report. You might like to try for the 'basic disclosure' which is available from CRB Scotland. It's unlear if the Thai authorities will accept it. It appears the Koreans do. Spent convictions will not appear on it. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

I took a cooking class at Bai pai cooking school just to learn how to make Pad Thai the traditional way.

Any chance of sharing the recipe?

seems like a good idea anyway.You would expect this to happen in your own country.I know minor offences are usually wiped within 6 years (cautions).If you are prosecuted they last much,much longer unless the details are lost which has been known after some period of time.As for the person who got caught for a minor shoplifting 20 years ago i wouldn't worry too much you could probably get a job as a policeman now.It all depends how strict they want to be but surely they couldn't bring that up now!

The sybject access report will show all convictions wheter they are spent under the Rehabilitaion of Offenders Act or not. It doesn't matter if it occured yesterday, 10 or 20 years ago. It's not a matter of the the authorities being nice or not. You are asking for a report in black and white of what the authorities know about you ie are you on the Police National Computer. This isn't what Subject Access was originally designed for but at present is is being abused but as yet it hasn't been made illegal to do so.

Spicy Ramen Noodle Salad.

Yum ma ma.

That's what the lady on my Soi calls it.

Can you tell us what she puts in it.......? Is my description in any way similar to it? Thanks.

Thank you. I think we are getting somewhere. As I mentioned earlier, I thought the woman opened a pack for the noodles.....It therefore sounds like yam mama? Is the packet of flavour put in the water used to boil the noodles or sprinkled on top? If I remember correctly, she used to but the dry noodles in a sieve like utensil and then soak. I just cant remember if a posder was poured on top. Thank you anyway, I think I am pretty close to identifying it now.

Something I found:

/www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3215

its called 'yum'...yum can be made in many different varieties....the chicken feet in your case is referred to as 'yum lep meu nah'

a combination of different ingredients, would be called 'roumit'....soaking the noodles is what finally gave your description away, its vermicelli.

its easy to make....for the actual liquid used to flavor it, you have to mix the liquid ingredients together first then add to the vermicelli and other ingredients.

Is this yum dish a dryish dish? If my memory serves me correct, the noodles were in small packets. One packet for a portion. Do you have a recipee for yum? Thanks for your reply.