Road Rat For Lunch

[corkscrew]

Every time I drive up to Ayuthaya and back I see roadside stalls selling rats. Today I bought one rat. Granted the thing does not make a nice plate presentation but it really does not have a nasty taste. I suggest that you eat it with beer or red wine. You should probably have several glasses of the stuff before you start eating.

[tolsti]

Corkscrew....once again you amaze me in your culinary search for excellence!!!!... Can't see them appearing on the buffet at The Shangrila though!!!

Was one sufficient per person or was there not a lot of meat on them? I remember seeing Cane Rats when I was a kid in Africa... some of them were huge!

[corkscrew]

Corkscrew....once again you amaze me in your culinary search for excellence!!!!... Can't see them appearing on the buffet at The Shangrila though!!!

Was one sufficient per person or was there not a lot of meat on them? I remember seeing Cane Rats when I was a kid in Africa... some of them were huge!

Thanks. Even Bangkokians think the rat-meal is strange.

[Momo8]

Rats are supposed to be very nutricious here are some of my fave recipies:

Bordeaux Grilled Rats

Skin and eviscerate rats that live in wine cellars. Brush with a thick sauce that combines olive oil and crushed shallots. Grill over a fire of broken wine barrels.

Stewed Cane Rat

Skin and eviscerate the rat and split it lengthwise. Fry until brown in a mixture of butter and peanut oil. Cover with water, add tomatoes or tomato purée, hot red peppers, and salt. Simmer the rat until tender and serve with rice.

Creamed Mice

Skin, gut and wash some fat mice without removing their heads. Cover them in a pot with ethyl alcohol and marinate 2 hours. Dice a piece of salt pork or sowbelly and cook it slowly to extract the fat. Drain the mice, dredge them thoroughly in a mixture of flour, pepper, and salt, and fry slowly in the rendered fat for about 5 minutes. Add a cup of alcohol and 6 to 8 cloves, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Prepare a cream sauce, transfer the sautéed mice to it, and warm them in it for about 10 minutes before serving.

Don't have a problem eating rats but won't stoop to cockaroaches or dogs.

Edited January 5, 2008 by Momo8

[corkscrew]

Rats are supposed to be very nutricious here are some of my fave recipies:

Bordeaux Grilled Rats

Skin and eviscerate rats that live in wine cellars. Brush with a thick sauce that combines olive oil and crushed shallots. Grill over a fire of broken wine barrels.

Stewed Cane Rat

Skin and eviscerate the rat and split it lengthwise. Fry until brown in a mixture of butter and peanut oil. Cover with water, add tomatoes or tomato purée, hot red peppers, and salt. Simmer the rat until tender and serve with rice.

Creamed Mice

Skin, gut and wash some fat mice without removing their heads. Cover them in a pot with ethyl alcohol and marinate 2 hours. Dice a piece of salt pork or sowbelly and cook it slowly to extract the fat. Drain the mice, dredge them thoroughly in a mixture of flour, pepper, and salt, and fry slowly in the rendered fat for about 5 minutes. Add a cup of alcohol and 6 to 8 cloves, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Prepare a cream sauce, transfer the sautéed mice to it, and warm them in it for about 10 minutes before serving.

Don't have a problem eating rats but won't stoop to cockaroaches or dogs.

And your choice of wine for each? Or, perhaps beer? Whiskey?

The creamed mice might lend themselves to shots of vodka?

[Momo8]

A good Chanti and fava beans

Seriously though,people have a psychological problem when confronted by what they consider as 'odd food'.Nothig wrong with rats and a good drop of red.

Edited January 5, 2008 by Momo8

[corkscrew]

A good Chanti and fava beans

Seriously though,people have a psychological problem when confronted by what they consider as 'odd food'.Nothig wrong with rats and a good drop of red.

Frankly, I was surprised at the taste of rat. Sure, it looked bad on the plate but the taste was interesting. If the chef had severed the tail and loped off the head before I ate it I probably would have asked for the receipe. But, since I ate it at home I was a little more subjective about it. I don't think I'll make it a regular.

However, rat might work in a diet program. After eating a bit I lost my appetite.

[Momo8]

Should've asked for plain rat drumsticks if you're so squeamish.And if it's take-away rat do make sure you reheat it properly so it doesn't dry out too much.Try my Creamed Mice recipe,much nicer.

Edited January 5, 2008 by Momo8

[mikethevigoman]

Every time I drive up to Ayuthaya and back I see roadside stalls selling rats. Today I bought one rat. Granted the thing does not make a nice plate presentation but it really does not have a nasty taste. I suggest that you eat it with beer or red wine. You should probably have several glasses of the stuff before you start eating.

Vermin fawlty !

[mikethevigoman]

Every time I drive up to Ayuthaya and back I see roadside stalls selling rats. Today I bought one rat. Granted the thing does not make a nice plate presentation but it really does not have a nasty taste. I suggest that you eat it with beer or red wine. You should probably have several glasses of the stuff before you start eating.

Rat a touee ?

[corkscrew]

Should've asked for plain rat drumsticks if you're so squeamish.And if it's take-away rat do make sure you reheat it properly so it doesn't dry out too much.Try my Creamed Mice recipe,much nicer.

Yes, the street rat vendors suggest using a hot sauce squeezed into the anus just before the beast is given 1 minute in the microwave for its final warming. This makes the bowels of the rat burst, allowing its full hot bowelistic bombstic flavors to spread throughout the rodent's meat.

However, your creamed mice does seem easier on the human stomach.

BTW, if your creamed mice are small can they be taken whole with a single shot of vodka? Or. are their bones still likely to be rude on the throat?

Edited January 5, 2008 by corkscrew

[corkscrew]

Every time I drive up to Ayuthaya and back I see roadside stalls selling rats. Today I bought one rat. Granted the thing does not make a nice plate presentation but it really does not have a nasty taste. I suggest that you eat it with beer or red wine. You should probably have several glasses of the stuff before you start eating.

Rat a touee ?

Yes, the roadside stands are seeking guidance from the Writer's Guild.

[Patsycat]

You'd think they could remove their little faces...

[DannyS1951]

For those living to the east of Bangkok there are roadside grilled rat sellers on Onnut Road. You need to drive a fair distance out of town, past the airport and start looking once past Lat Krabang and the last motorway entrance turnoff.

[Ulysses G.]

Rat is real, proper, Thai food!

[Naam]

Bordeaux Grilled Rats

Skin and eviscerate rats that live in wine cellars. Brush with a thick sauce that combines olive oil and crushed shallots. Grill over a fire of broken wine barrels.

= one of my favourite dishes. but mind you! bordeaux rats have to be treated like game. do not eviscerate until rat has hung for at least seven days upside down. check on seventh day whether maggots have developed and are busy working around rat's anus. if not leave hanging for another day (or perhaps two).

serve grilled rat hot with Portwine over crushed ice. make sure women folks keep their distance thus avoiding their vomit on your plate. bon appétit!

[suegha]

I have eaten many strange things in my time but rat aint one of them!

[Gary A]

If they lopped off the feet and tail, served me just the hind legs and told me it was squirrel, I'd probably try it.

[ray08]

For people who have tried Rat ,what other animal would they say has a similar flavour ? ???? very curious , actually looks good if you cut off the head and tail , or are they the best parts??

[TheGameJustIs]

wow, i don't think i could eat a rat even though i realize its just another animal.

[zzdocxx]

Anyone seen the cable tv show, "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern"?

Quite interesting! ! ! He travels all over the world, they had a segment on Thailand too.

[crowbait]

Shades of Terry Pratchett's Diskworld and Ankh-Morpork's most famous entrepreneur "Cut My Own Throat Dibbler" selling:

Rat-onna-stick!

Rat-inna-bun!

Both are gastronomic adventures never to be repeated, I am assured.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

They say the rice paddy rats are OK but shy away from the city sewer rats. And I don't know who "they" are.

[toptuan]

bordeaux rats have to be treated like game. do not eviscerate until rat has hung for at least seven days upside down. check on seventh day whether maggots have developed and are busy working around rat's anus. if not leave hanging for another day (or perhaps two).

serve grilled rat hot with Portwine over crushed ice. make sure women folks keep their distance thus avoiding their vomit on your plate. bon appétit!

Recipe and whole approach to dining sounds very Klingon-ish.

[BigSnake]

Gross, I for one will pass on the rat ROAST.

[Momo8]

One of my fave weird threads brought back again!!! I bet when you order green curry chicken it's actually rat....or dog...here in China anyway.What matters most is the side dishes and accompaniments and drinks of course.RAT tastes good.Rat chops taste good.But rats are filthy animals just be sure to get a clean rat.

[blue eyes]

If you like pork and duck, mix the flavor and remove the grease and you have BBQ rat.It is really very good, if you eat meat.Though I would not buy one from anyone already cooked.The ones caught by the family in the paddies and BBQed are excellent.They are not the same as "garbage" rats.