Shredded Suet

[cardholder]

I cannot find any shredded beef suet for making dumplings - anyone come across suet ?

[halljimbo]

Pattaya

Yorkies regularly stocks Atora but it sells quickly.

Call him to reserve a pack for you!

[RabC]

Pattaya as well Freindship sells the veggie one, works fine though.

[tonytigerbkk]

Hi Cardholder,

The last time I bought suet was about 3 years ago From Villa Supermarket but I don't know if they still sell it.

Regards,

Tiger.

[Thaddeus]

There are two packs of normal and two low fat 22km south of you

[techno]

Where is it available in Chiang Mai? Anyone know

[sheepshank]

Hi cardholder, I gave up trying to source Atora suet in Thailand years ago after I found a thread here on T.V. One of the posters on the thread described how to do-it-yourself and I've DIY'd ever since! I saved the relevant posting on that thread when I came across it and here it is:-

"Suet is only obtained in any quantity from around the kidney of beef or lamb, usually needs to be ordered from your beef supplier. It can be shaved or grated and used as "Atora" but you have the slight problem of the stringy membrane running through it. A better way is to render it gently, pour off, and when cold and solidified, either grate or if you have access to a mincer then mince it. It’s what British housewives did before the war when most didn't go out to work. The reason that suet is used is because it melts at a higher temperature than other cooking fats, allowing steamed puddings etc. to rise to their wonderful fluffy state before the fat melts and "sets" the puddings. Hope this helps."

Beef kidney comes "gift-wrapped" in a large lump of hard fat. This fat is always removed and discarded at the abattoir and you'll never see it on the beef butcher's slab in the market as it looks distinctly unappealing. But, if you ask your beef supplier in advance that you want, say, a pair of kidneys with the fat left on they'll be happy to help. Of couse you'll pay the full price for the weight you are purchasing which'll be about 3 to 4 times the price of a "naked" kidney. But suet is worth it's weight in gold, aint it .

Once you've got the kidneys home, remove the offal from the centre of the lump of fat then chop the fat up into small(ish) cubes. Place the cubes in a wok and heat it gently over a low flame for 20-25 minutes until the fat has turned into a yellowish liquid. Strain off the liquid into a heat-proof container and discard the solid residue. I then wait for it to cool down until I can pour it into a plastic Wall's ice-cream container. Finally, place the container in the deep freeze to solidify the fat, which by that stage is a creamy off-white colour.

When you want to make dumplings, hack off as much real suet as you need and grate it into your flour. I make steak and kidney pudding regularly for my Brit mates and it is always very well received. Tip: if you are making S/K Pud use half home-made suet and half butter when you make the suet crust pastry, it makes all the difference.

By the way, NEVER admit to your beef supplier what you are doing, they may decide to "up" the price if they knew what you were saving over the cost of Atora. Our butcher just thinks I'm a crazy farang. Which I am, but at least I dont get ripped off by the butcher, or the purveyors of Atora suet in Thailand, wherever they might to be.

[RabC]

Sheepshank. Cheers for that I use quite a bit of suet so guess I will now have to get friendly with a butcher.

[cardholder]

There are two packs of normal and two low fat 22km south of you

Is this the normal time of year for suet to migrate north ?

I have a feeling that the missus may want to go to Aranyaprathet tomorrow - I could be persuaded to take a slight detour.

[Thaddeus]

There are two packs of normal and two low fat 22km south of you

Is this the normal time of year for suet to migrate north ?

Yes, you can also see wee haggis on the wing heading to the mountain snow for breeding (keeps em fresh)

[frankthetank]

There are two packs of normal and two low fat 22km south of you

Is this the normal time of year for suet to migrate north ?

I have a feeling that the missus may want to go to Aranyaprathet tomorrow - I could be persuaded to take a slight detour.

Hi Cardholder,

Where are you?

I will be arriving in BKK on the 25th, I can bring a few packs from here in the UK.

Any good to you?