What Is ดินประสิว

[Roy Jing]

Hi,

Can anybody tell me what ดินประสิว is ?

My wife was just looking at a recipe in her Thai cookbook and it says to use this. She said that it was not really needed but I am curious to know what it is.

Thanks

Roy

[expat_4_life]

My dictionary says it is: Potassium Nitrate, commonly referred to as Saltpeter.

[Roy Jing]

My dictionary says it is: Potassium Nitrate, commonly referred to as Saltpeter.

Thanks expat . Much appreciated

Roy

[taxexile]

My wife was just looking at a recipe in her Thai cookbook and it says to use this

commonly referred to as Saltpeter

your wife could be trying to kill you or calm down your urges.

Dear Cecil:

As a lad I went to the same repressive boarding school that made George Bush what he is today. As a student I believed, as did we all, that the school authorities were mixing potassium nitrate, or saltpeter, into our food to control our sexual appetites. (The food itself controlled our regular appetites.) Is this true? Was it legal? Would it have had any lasting effect on me? I shudder to think what happened to poor George. --John Daniel, Santa Barbara, California

Dear John:

The official word is that potassium nitrate (KNO3), more commonly employed as an ingredient in gunpowder, has no therapeutic value as an anaphrodisiac, contrary to legend. Cecil of course believes this. Still, when you look at what the stuff does do, you can see where the idea got started. Saltpeter can cause relaxation of involuntary muscle fiber (for which reason it's used to treat asthma) and it's occasionally prescribed to lower body temperature in cases of fever. From there it's not much of a leap to think that "niter," as it was called in the old days, might cure "sexual fever," and in fact a few doctors urged it for that purpose centuries ago.

From what I can tell the idea wasn't taken too seriously, but apparently sailors in the British navy leapt to conclusions when they learned that potassium nitrate was being used to preserve the meat used aboard their ships. Ever since the inmates of almost any large all-male institution, ranging from boarding schools to the army, have been convinced that the higher-ups were slipping the stuff into the mashed potatoes (or whatever) to cool the jets of the rank and file. During the world wars, for example, it was widely believed that government-issue cigarettes were soaked in saltpeter.

The truth is that even the most tyrannical general wouldn't inflict the stuff on his men if he expected them to be of any use--too many side effects. Among other things potassium nitrate can cause gastroenteritis (violent stomachache), high blood pressure, anemia, kidney disease, and general weakness and torpor. It also has an alarmingly depressive effect on the heart. Too strong a dose and not only would you not be able to get it up, chances are you wouldn't be able to get up, period. All in all, there's still no substitute for the cold shower.

--CECIL ADAMS

[Comment on this answer]

[Roy Jing]

My wife was just looking at a recipe in her Thai cookbook and it says to use this

commonly referred to as Saltpeter

your wife could be trying to kill you or calm down your urges.

Dear Cecil:

As a lad I went to the same repressive boarding school that made George Bush what he is today. As a student I believed, as did we all, that the school authorities were mixing potassium nitrate, or saltpeter, into our food to control our sexual appetites. (The food itself controlled our regular appetites.) Is this true? Was it legal? Would it have had any lasting effect on me? I shudder to think what happened to poor George. --John Daniel, Santa Barbara, California

Dear John:

The official word is that potassium nitrate (KNO3), more commonly employed as an ingredient in gunpowder, has no therapeutic value as an anaphrodisiac, contrary to legend. Cecil of course believes this. Still, when you look at what the stuff does do, you can see where the idea got started. Saltpeter can cause relaxation of involuntary muscle fiber (for which reason it's used to treat asthma) and it's occasionally prescribed to lower body temperature in cases of fever. From there it's not much of a leap to think that "niter," as it was called in the old days, might cure "sexual fever," and in fact a few doctors urged it for that purpose centuries ago.

From what I can tell the idea wasn't taken too seriously, but apparently sailors in the British navy leapt to conclusions when they learned that potassium nitrate was being used to preserve the meat used aboard their ships. Ever since the inmates of almost any large all-male institution, ranging from boarding schools to the army, have been convinced that the higher-ups were slipping the stuff into the mashed potatoes (or whatever) to cool the jets of the rank and file. During the world wars, for example, it was widely believed that government-issue cigarettes were soaked in saltpeter.

The truth is that even the most tyrannical general wouldn't inflict the stuff on his men if he expected them to be of any use--too many side effects. Among other things potassium nitrate can cause gastroenteritis (violent stomachache), high blood pressure, anemia, kidney disease, and general weakness and torpor. It also has an alarmingly depressive effect on the heart. Too strong a dose and not only would you not be able to get it up, chances are you wouldn't be able to get up, period. All in all, there's still no substitute for the cold shower.

--CECIL ADAMS

[Comment on this answer]

Thanks taxexile, my wife can't stop laughing at what you have informed us that pottasium nitrate does. She says she would have used it years ago if she knew it would calm down my urges.

I was looking at the Thai food section of the forum earlier on and the subject of a preserved pork rib dish was discussed ( I think the dish is called Nahm Siklong Muu ) and I told her I wanted to make it. I said Bambina had given a recipe for it and I asked her how she make it. She said she would make it the same way except she would add chillies and ginger. Then she said she would look in one of her Thai cook books and see how they would make it. Looking at the ingredients in the book it states to use 1/2 teaspoon of ดินประสิว - which I have since been informed of is potassium nitrate. My wife said that it is not something she ever uses but I was curious to know what it was.

Thanks again for your post, I'm off to the kitchen cupboard now to see exactly what she does have. It's going to take a while to go through everything as you would not believe the amount of sauces, powders and herbs she has. It really is bizarre

Regards

Roy

[BambinA]

I was looking at the Thai food section of the forum earlier on and the subject of a preserved pork rib dish was discussed ( I think the dish is called Nahm Siklong Muu ) and I told her I wanted to make it. I said Bambina had given a recipe for it and I asked her how she make it. She said she would make it the same way except she would add chillies and ginger. Then she said she would look in one of her Thai cook books and see how they would make it. Looking at the ingredients in the book it states to use 1/2 teaspoon of ดินประสิว - which I have since been informed of is potassium nitrate. My wife said that it is not something she ever uses but I was curious to know what it was.

I don't think i said you should add din prasew in your nham

Naem pork rib

chopped pork rib 1 kg (1.5-2 ")

10 cloves of garlics (minced later)

2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup of cooked rice

mix all and keep it in a ziplock bag or container for 3 days at room temperature (in cold farang land you'll need longer)

then deep fry it with sliced kaffir lime leaves"

Edited March 22, 2007 by BambinA

[Roy Jing]

I was looking at the Thai food section of the forum earlier on and the subject of a preserved pork rib dish was discussed ( I think the dish is called Nahm Siklong Muu ) and I told her I wanted to make it. I said Bambina had given a recipe for it and I asked her how she make it. She said she would make it the same way except she would add chillies and ginger. Then she said she would look in one of her Thai cook books and see how they would make it. Looking at the ingredients in the book it states to use 1/2 teaspoon of ดินประสิว - which I have since been informed of is potassium nitrate. My wife said that it is not something she ever uses but I was curious to know what it was.

I don't think i said you should add din prasew in your nham

Naem pork rib

chopped pork rib 1 kg (1.5-2 ")

10 cloves of garlics (minced later)

2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup of cooked rice

mix all and keep it in a ziplock bag or container for 3 days at room temperature (in cold farang land you'll need longer)

then deep fry it with sliced kaffir lime leaves"

A slight misunderstanding Bambina. I know you didn't say to add it. My wife saw it in one of her cook books.

I'm going to give your recipe a go. Sounds great.

Roy

[BambinA]

oh ok.

Anyway , i think it's not necessary to use Dinprasew (According to the OP in the TH food thread who asked about the recipe,He did it already and It seemed to have a good result

(I checled the FDA site .It' s allowed to add Dinprasew as food preservative substance and colour fixation not more than)

-Potassium Nitrate 500 mg /food 1 kg

-Potassium Nitrite 125 mg/food 1kg