Konini

On 10/17/2020 at 3:21 AM, Lacessit said:

My GF knows how to cook okra, I've taught her, along with a few other things.

I'd put eating okra raw in the same bucket as eating raw eggs.

They are very, very good pickled.  Top and tail them, couple of bay leaves in the bottom of a jar to keep them a bit crunchy, herbs or spices according to taste and curing salt (it really has to be salt with no iodine, it stops the fermenting).  Weigh the veggies and water for total weight (without the jar) and calculate 2.5 to 3% salt.  Seal jar, leave it on a plate in case it bubbles over, in a dark spot.  Start checking after 2 days, then daily until they have the taste you want. The sweet spot for me with okra is 5 days.

I should have also asked if the appointment system is still in place, and if yes what the waiting period is.  I think I should have organised all of this a couple of weeks ago.

EDIT:  Looks like it's a next day appointment, if anyone has been in the last couple of weeks I would greatly appreciate it if they could confirm it please.

10 hours ago, el jefe said:

You do not need a medical certificate when renewing 5 to 5.

I'm renewing a 2 year to a 5 year next week - will I need one?

18 hours ago, plentyofnuttin said:

My favorite yogurt comes from Dacheeso. It's their liquid variety. Don't know for sure why it tastes so good. I suspect it's the quality of their milk which definitely has more flavor than the kind that comes from the major dairies. You can get it at Hideways Cafe.

Their milk is pasteurised slowly and is not homogenised - exactly what you want for making cheese, which is their main line of business.  A lot of people struggle to tell the difference, but for anything involving milk beyond putting it into tea or coffee or having it on breakfast cereal it's perfect.  Most of us would remember the cream on top of the milk bottle; that's milk that isn't homogenised and no longer common.

8 hours ago, onebir said:

Sounds good! Actually, when I've let yoghurt ferment for a long time & it gets very thick, it also can get little grains in it. (I think this is why Greek yoghurt is strained?))

Leaving it longer does make it thicker to a certain extent (and more tart tasting), but after 18 hours or so it doesn't get any thicker; after my four and a half day mistake, mine still had to be strained to get it to the consistency we like.  When you strain it, it only takes off the whey - the little 'grains' in there are really just little lumps; they are 'concentrated' yoghurt.  They won't hurt you, but a quick stir brings everything back together and smooth.  I think I said earlier that different batches of milk (I tend to use the same type every time) must be at least partly responsible for the lumps, I rarely get them, but there again I take it from the foam box and put it straight into the strainer so probably wouldn't notice unless it was really lumpy. 

Whisking the milk for a while during cooling to the right temperature before adding the starter definitely does something to it though - I know milk pretty much everywhere is homogenised unless you seek out milk that isn't, maybe it homogenises it a bit more, science was never my thing but more years than I want to think about has proved to me that I don't get as much whey if I have time to whisk it that so it must change the something in the makeup of the milk which leads to the end product being thicker too.

But any way you make it, and any way you like it - sweet, tart, thick, thin - it's doing your gut a fair bit of good.  And it tastes good.

8 hours ago, beau thai said:

i fear you may be right but I cant tolerate dairy now. so one last try before I give up on yoghurt totally. Maybe I will trek over to Aden Stoere as he stocks coconut yoghurt and will probably share some tips on making it.

At least Chiang Mai Bakery Nong Hoi stocks a good range of very tasty almond milk cheeses, even though a tad costly at 1000bht/kg. But in 150-170g packs.

Sorry to hear about your dairy problem, I can't imagine a world without it - we go through at least 10 litres a week not including cheese.  Have you tried making your own kefir and leaving it to ferment for a good couple of days before drinking a little?  If it's the lactose you have the problem with, the kefir grains feed on the sugar (lactose) and if left long enough they'll gobble the whole lot, meaning you may possibly be OK with it, I've read that many lactose intolerant people get away with it.  Same with yoghurt left fermenting for a good couple of days but I don't think the bacteria are as gutsy as kefir grains so the lactose may not be all gone.  If you haven't tried it, it might be worth a go. 

I haven't tried nut milk cheese, to be honest I hadn't heard about it before reading your post.  I'm about to start making cheese myself for the first time, got everything I need for the easy soft cheeses to practice on before trying the easiest hard cheese, Wensleydale (which happens to be my favourite when topped with raspberry jam).  Hopefully this week if I can organise myself to find the time to go into town to get some raw milk.

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Can't say I've noticed any difference in texture/taste, but it's easier to get hold of than Yolida.

Try leaving it a bit longer, my longest (mistake) was more than 4 days and it was OK.  Experiment with 24 hours, it gets tangy-er they longer you leave it.

I've found that scalding then cooling the milk makes a difference in the texture.  Also, whisking the milk for a few minutes whilst cooling seems to make it thicker, less whey comes off when I drain it.

1 minute ago, beau thai said:

Discovered coconut milk kefir in jars at Chiang Mai Bakery, Nong Hoi today.  Gonna use a few teaspoonsful in coconut milk to see if anything resembling Coconut yoghurt results. If not off to Aden Health foods to grab his coconut yoghurt

I've tried experimenting with various milks, always go back to the good old cow.

Using anything but dairy milk will weaken the grains over time as they don't get the lactose that they feed on, I didn't keep going with it long enough to experience this but it's something to look out for.

Thanks for the tip off for Aden - 250 baht but enough to divide into 5 baggies, 4 in the freezer and the fifth fermenting up nice thick and creamy kefir.

29 minutes ago, Nout said:

There definitely yoghurt starter kits here ..Healthhut in Pattaya makes it own kefir milk and also ginger flavor kefir water Good luck

Sounds like it definitely will have the grains then, but the supermarket wouldn't.  Mr K has just picked some up from the health foods store mentioned in the first reply to this topic, so I can get back into production later this afternoon.

3 hours ago, beau thai said:

I see that you use Bulgaria as a starter sometimes and wonder if you have tried Yolida? I like Bulgaria and may be kidding myself but I sesnse that Yolida is more 'natural' - or maybe its just personal taste!

Nowhere near as nice in my experience.  I had no choice before Meiji brought out Bulgaria in Thailand, I forget how many years ago that was, and while it was OK it was never great.  I've always been wary about dried yoghurt cultures so wasn't keen on getting them from Europe and definitely couldn't bring fresh from our annual trips to either UK or Australia because of the length of time on the plane.  Kefir would have survived it with a bit of love and care at the end of the journey, but Bulgaria yoghurt cultures probably wouldn't have.

I've always used Bulgaria for a starter because there is, as you've found, a difference in the taste and it's a difference I prefer and so I will always use it as a starter when available, but there have been times over dozens of years of yoghurt making when I have been unable to source it and then I've had to experiment then made do with the best of what was available in my then location.  I've seen references to it being perhaps better for you, but I don't believe everything I read and that's not why I use it anyway.  I start with 5 litres of milk then strain about 2 litres of whey off, leaving 3 litres or 3 kg of very thick yoghurt.  That lasts the two of us maybe 10 days, give or take, usually half for use with fruits and half mixed with garlic, lemon juice and salt.  Obviously, we both like yoghurt and go through a lot of it.  I make it because no matter what country we live in, it's cheaper to make than buy when we use so much and more particularly here in Thailand.  I forget how much yoghurt costs, but I know it's not 200 baht for 3kg and then I have 2 litres of whey left over to use in cooking and baking.

I think the only reason to use Yolinda or any other yoghurt over Bulgaria is purely personal taste.  If Bulgaria is in any way better for us than the others, it's a bonus.  It certainly wouldn't sway my choice of starter culture.

For anyone interested, the only thing you need to make your own yoghurt is milk with a long sell-by date, a couple of spoons of yoghurt from a previous batch (or a single small tub of unflavoured yoghurt WITH LIVE CULTURES such as Meiji Bulgaria which is 20 baht) a fairly warm spot and a bit of patience.  It's best, but not essential, to scald the milk - that is to bring it up to about 90 degrees C or close to boiling - then let it cool to about 45-50 degrees C (if it's too hot for your little finger to stay in there, it's too hot and will kill the live cultures).  Take a bit of the cooled milk (or milk warmed to 45-50 degrees if you must) and stir your yoghurt starter in, then add that mix to the bulk of your milk and give it a good stir.  Put in into a glass or plastic container, any kind of non-metal container as long as it's clean, cover to keep insects out and maybe wrap a blanket or towel around it to keep it warm then put it somewhere nice and warm (no aircon, no draughts).  It will be yoghurt after around 6 hours technically, and can go into the fridge (keeps 10-ish days), but your tastebuds will thank you for leaving it longer - 56 hours is the longest I've ever left a batch (I simply forgot about it, it was a bit sharp but perfectly OK) but I'd say leave it at the very least 12 hours until you are confident at experimenting with longer (the longer you leave it the more tart or sharp it will become, personal taste).  Lumps are natural, sometimes you get them sometimes you don't, I think it must depend on the batch of milk as sometimes I get an odd lumpy batch of yoghurt.  You can give it a good stir if they offend you, but they won't hurt you. If you want a more Greek-like yoghurt, fashion an old tshirt or similar into something you can tie into a ball and put the yoghurt in the middle and hang over a bowl, jug or container big enough to catch the whey that drips out.  Chances are you'll make a bit of a mess before you can perfect a way of doing that, if you want to make it regularly it doesn't cost much to buy a sieve, then you can line that with your old t-shirt or a coffee filter and have no mess at all.  Worth buying a dedicated container to make it in and to strain it if you're going to make your own more than two or three times.  Nothing fancy, some plastics will absorb the smell of the yoghurt over time and it can be a bit unpleasant if you get a whiff of it - for that reason I got some extra large drink cups, the kind you buy slurpies and shakes in at markets.  The kind of clear plastic they're made for are perfect and never need changing if you wash them properly - beg one from a stall or buy a drink and take the cup home, they only sell in bulk at Makro and I'm still using the same 6 a week as I was at least 6 years ago, maybe more.  If you suspect that your resting spot may be particularly prone to insects or fruit fly, secure a piece of kitchen roll or similar with an elastic band.  Should also say that I'm onto my second foam icebox from Makro since we settled here 12 years ago, it helps to keep the temperature up, especially useful if leaving it for a long time.  Never use a big foam box unless you are going to fill most of the space with old towels or something, like fridges and freezers they are only efficient if pretty much full to the gunwales.  If using one, line the bottom of it with cling film/plastic wrap and dispose of it each use.  Trust me - little spills, big smells.  If you have a nice warm spot and you will only ever leave it 12 hours, you probably won't need one but I think mine were only 50 baht or so and I need that size because I make a lot at a time.  Some people might have an old thermos flask or similar lying around which would be ideal for smaller batches.

Feel free to PM me if you try it and come across anything you're unsure of or any questions that I haven't alluded to.  There are no rules except add fruit or flavours later and full fat milk gives the best tasting yoghurt, but there again so does full fat pretty much anything.  It won't help to use low or no fat milk if you're on a diet, the bacteria eats the lactose which is the both sugar in the milk and the real weight gain culprit, and it won't be anywhere as enjoyable to eat.

2 hours ago, Nout said:

Health hut in Pattaya sells kefir as does food mart

OP here - I'm in Chiang Mai.  Don't know about Health Hut, but the supermarket definitely sells pre-made kefir drinks in bottles not the grains which are used to ferment milk from scratch.  It's a very specialised item to have for sale anywhere, especially fresh rather than frozen or dehydrated.

9 hours ago, onebir said:

I had to google it too. Similar to yoghurt, fermented with more/different microorganisms, may be more beneficial to gut health; apparently more sour than yoghurt, so people might just prefer the taste.

 

OP: You can't just buy ready-made kefir & use it as a starter, like yoghurt?

Similar to yoghurt is how I describe it to people who've never heard of it, although it is a lot thicker than yoghurt drinks, more like the consistency of flavoured yoghurt I'd get occasionally as a child once it had been stirred.  Mam was ahead of her time and knew that anything that colour was bad for us.

I've been making yoghurt for donkey's years and buy a new pot of Bulgaria yoghurt for a fresh starter once a year or so.  Kefir is different in that the bacteria are grains and not invisible 'things' - not sure why they're called grains, they look like mini cauliflowers - and you can't make the drink without having obtained some grains.  Sourness - I honestly think it's more tart than sour, possibly a combination of the current popularity amongst the hipster crowd and the unpopularity of, or simply not knowing, the word tart, depends on you; leave it for so many hours or days before putting it in the fridge to stop it fermenting, the longer you leave it out the more tart it gets. This is a personal taste thing and known only by experimentation.  For us, in Chiang Mai for most of the year 48 hours on the bench is the sweet spot, a bit longer in the winter and as little as 8 hours overnight in the hot months of April and May then the grains also have to go into the fridge for the rest of the day.   In that, it's the same as making yoghurt; I don't listen to the newbie hipsters who tell me yoghurt is ready in 6 hours at exactly 42 degrees C.  Mine cooks away for a bare minimum of 24 hours at more like 50 degrees C for as long as my towel and blanket wrapped foam cooler will hold it there.  Somewhere between 36 and 40 hours seems to be the sweet spot for us. The longer it goes for, the tarter it gets.  Then drain it and reduce the volume by almost half and you can pretty much slice it. Magnificent.

9 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

They are one of the new cure all, magic, super food, extending life things....that are, as usual, hard to get and expensive...and actually have little if any benefit to life..

To some of us they aren't so new, I remember people pulling faces at me 30 years ago. 

It is nice, refreshing but tart milk drink with beneficial probiotics which may help gut health or there again it may be just a nice refreshing drink.   Either way, we both enjoy it as a mid morning drink, anything over that is a bonus.

5 hours ago, uncleP said:

I'm  in the same boat

I'll let you know how much they are when I get them from Aden Health Store.  Or you can wait a few weeks and I'll have spare ones (I hope).

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

PM @tropo

Thanks for the heads-up Sheryl, but I've found a shop just down the road that has fresh grains for sale so I'll head down there tomorrow.

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

Do you know that  you can freeze them? That's what I did last year with some as a precaution against them dying. 

 

Quite simple. You can google how to do it. So next time you have some and they start to grow, freeze the extra.

Mine were in the freezer for over a year, and reactivated once I put them in some milk.

Thanks, that's what I was aiming to do because I'm obsessive about backups (you want to see my scoby hotel), but I didn't get far enough to make myself a backup.  I bought some dehydrated ones and after a few days of settling them in they were producing nice kefir, 2 cups every day which is exactly what I wanted.  Over 6 weeks, the grains didn't seem to grow at all, so last week I put them into a muslim baggie in case I was missing the tiny new ones (very unlikely as I was using a professional grade fine sieve) and when I opened up the baggie today it looked pretty empty.  I scraped out all of the kefir into a new jar with milk, and I'm hoping that there will be something there tomorrow, but I've found a shop selling them, Aden Health Store recommended by Beau Thai.  I sent them a message and they replied that they sell them and they are fresh, not dehydrated, so I'll be heading to them in the next couple of days to buy some.  And as soon as I have enough spare, I'll freeze some and dehydrate some so I've got backup.

1 hour ago, beau thai said:

try aden health store - via google

Thanks, I've sent them a message.  They sell several kinds of bottled kefir, so fingers crossed.

I think most of mine have died, desperately seeking   

That was my speciality back home, along with nominating out the excess staff and nominating the ones that showed promise for extra training - I didn't go to work to make friends and be liked, and as a contractor I was in constant demand and I made a lot of money doing it.

If only there were a work permit attached ...

12 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

All in all it must had took me 10 minutes but probably could had been 5 if that damn farang hadn't walked up and jumped queue.

 

I did note that off to the side next to the window was a Thai woman and an older farang (with a walker) just standing there as they appeared to be waiting their turn in queue. So in summary it appears they are processing walk ups at the drive thru window

I lose faith in humanity at times.  Using a drive through as a temporary parking spot is incredibly inconsiderate.  Few would mind someone with mobility problems going up a few places in the queue, but I'm afraid I wouldn't have been as patient with your queue jumper as you were.  The only thing I can think of to give him an reason (certainly not an excuse) for pushing in would be that he had been sent away to get photocopies or to complete the form.  Even so, in reclaiming your place in the queue, basic manners say let the person being dealt with finish.

Perhaps they are allowing walk-ups because 90 day reporting has moved back to Promenada again with no allocated spot inside the office, or it could be that they had made an exception for this person given that he was elderly and using a walker.

8 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Last time I was there,mid August, those trying to use it as a walk up window were being turned away and told to go to Promenada by an officer referencing a sign in Thai ,English and Chinese if I remember.

We went on the bike in June as we had never done one before - 11 years and we've never spent more than 89 consecutive days in the country.  2 cars in front of us, so I got off the bike to stretch my legs and get out of the sun.  When the car in front of us moved off I wandered over towards the window and I was told very sharply that it was drive through only.  When I pointed to Mr K, who by that time had wheeled the bike forward level with me, I was really sternly told to get on the bike.  Maybe he was having a bad day, but he wouldn't entertain us unless two bums were firmly on the bike.

Last week we did our first online reporting, did it late afternoon and they were there the next morning to print off.  I accept that a significant number of people have problems with the system though, I gave up on the Android app and just stuck to the laptop.  

Many of the sports drinks are pretty much just Lucozade, but with those as well as the powdered ones if it tastes nice it isn't doing you much good.  The ones that taste horrible and very salty are the ones doing the best for you, the others have lots of sugar and other unnecessary additives to make them go down a bit easier, especially for children.

Or as above and put some sugar and salt into a glass of water (more salt than sugar) or a big glass of coconut water two or three times over a day will see you right.

12 hours ago, Trujillo said:

The four new cases (in New Zealand of unknown origin) are all members of a single family. None had traveled overseas recently.'

There is certainly more there than is being reported. More to the point is who they were in contact with.

All one family.  You're right, it is off-topic, but...

The father works at a cold store, they are currently testing frozen items that have been imported. 4 close contacts (including 2 more workers at the cold store) showing flu-like symptoms are isolating waiting for test results.  China has reported live virus being on the packaging of frozen Norwegian Salmon, and many believe the mini-outbreak in Beijing last month was from such a case (they looked at that immediately, said it was the source, then changed their minds and said it wasn't.  It has since been separately reported as being detected on frozen plastic packaging elsewhere in China and scientists have confirmed how well it survives being frozen).

This has just reminded me that the cold weather is coming to western countries in the northern hemisphere - ideal conditions for the virus is 5 degrees celsius (which coincidentally is the operating temperature of abattoirs, thousands of which have had outbreaks\clusters in pretty much every country around the world).  I really hope I'm wrong, but the numbers in EU and US could get pretty ugly.

BTW - I agree with you on the masks being superfluous if there really are zero cases in the wild here, I only wear mine because of the 'dirty Farang' label that was pinned on us and my desire to prove them wrong, but like pretty much everyone else I see now, I only half wear it.  Also,  to get back onto the OT. I should say that I don't feel as though people are treating me any differently, but it's always a bit hard to tell with Thai's even when they're not wearing masks.  I had hoped that the lack of tourists through border closures would make them realise the contribution that expats make to the local economies, but that doesn't seem to be happening in the slightest.  

21 hours ago, CMMCB said:

Amazing the difference day to day, isn't it? A young intern lady just offered me 20-days free or next day 500 around the same time. Picked it up 20 days later. 

It's so annoying.  At least if they were consistent it would be better, even if it is illegal.  Probably just a different intern, or maybe the same one and as you said, the difference day to day.  He tried insisting on the free one, she flatly told him no free ones any more.  Ker ching!

Oddly, or perhaps not, the report in the BP is the Reuters one.  I had just read it word for word in one of the Australian papers and was looking forward to reading a Thai reporters' version.  I was sorely disappointed.

I always try to look on the bright side and see the good in things (I'd go crazy if I didn't), the only bright side of this I can come up with is it's a cunning ploy to get him back into the country.  Don't know what the laws are about reinstating or making new charges would be, but it's all I can come up with.