Treacle, Golden Syrup & A Surprise Wine Box...

[Greenside]

Wine box first. I needed some white wine for cooking last week and picked up a large, cheap box called Cedar Creek at Makro Hang Dong. As I was about to open it, I noticed that it confessed to being wine blended with fruit juice and contained sulfites derived from egg whites which didn't altogether sound too promising but, since the sauce was on the stove, an 8km round trip to change it didn't appeal either so what the heck... To my surprise it turned out to be the best (cheap) boxed white I've had here - miles better than that Celebration stuff and very drinkable if you forget about the egg white warning. In any event, 12% alcohol (and 4.5L for less than 800 baht) soon overcome those issues; Fine Wine it isn't but OK House Wine it is.

Golden Syrup and treacle: anyone know who stocks them? Bakermart doesn't.

[FolkGuitar]

I saw Golden Syrup at Rimping, Nim City

[Greenside]

Thank you. Anyone got a line on treacle?

It's a tough call trying to explain what it is in English, let alone Thai - try telling them you're looking for "uncrystallized syrup made during the refining of sugar" and watch their eyes glaze over....

[eyecatcher]

Thank you. Anyone got a line on treacle?

It's a tough call trying to explain what it is in English, let alone Thai - try telling them you're looking for "uncrystallized syrup made during the refining of sugar" and watch their eyes glaze over....

Golden syrup is treacle...green tin.

Or you looking for the thick gunge

[Greenside]

Dark treacle....The thick gunge.

[landtrout]

Wikipedia seems to be telling me that treacle (or "black treacle" anyway...) is the same stuff that I know as molasses.

If that's what you're looking for, I bought some at Bakermart a couple of months ago. It was in a 400 gram plastic tub with a generic looking black & white sticker label on it. I've only used it once (as an ingredient for a loaf of dark rye bread) and wasn't completely happy with it. It's got the molasses flavor profile, but is more bitter and not nearly as sweet as the "blackstrap" molasses that I'm familiar with. If I use it again, I'll have to add sugar or honey to the mix.

The Royal Project shop on Suthep Rd. near CMU also carries molasses, in small jars that go for somewhere around 90 baht.

Another possibility would be asking around in some of the shops in the Tai Yai or Shan neighborhoods. Every Shan festival I've been to has booths selling desserts with what tastes like blackstrap molasses drizzled over them, so I know that it's out there!

[uhhh ohhh]

Wine box first. I needed some white wine for cooking last week and picked up a large, cheap box called Cedar Creek at Makro Hang Dong. As I was about to open it, I noticed that it confessed to being wine blended with fruit juice.............

Greenside: Your discovery regarding the wine being blended with fruit juice has become more common and also applies to a lot of reds. I don't know the whole story but it's my understanding that taxes drove up REAL wine prices and I "THINK" there are costs savings by blending real wine with fruit juice. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong. I've seen a couple of my favorite REAL wines disappear over the last year and higher prices on others. Not many good reasonably priced REAL wines remain, IMHO. But there are probably some wine/fruit juice blends that are palatable. I'll give the Cedar Creek a try. Thanks!

[Red Crab]

I have searched all the usual: Rimping, Tops, Central Festival, only Maple Syrup. Rimping at the Maya had a Golden Syrup (although it said: maple flavoured), but it was runny, and no good for may baking purpose. If desperate, I would have gone with LAND TROUT's advise re: molasses, however luckily , I am getting the real staff from Australia...

[phuket Mike]

I've had no luck finding Golden Syrup but if you search Google there are lots of recipes to make your own especially on youtube, for example I just found this one -

[Konini]

They had black treacle in Rimping iron bridge a few weeks ago - I've also seen it in Kaseem. Think I just might make a steamed treacle pudding this afternoon, your post has made me fancy it something rotten.

[Konini]

I've had no luck finding Golden Syrup but if you search Google there are lots of recipes to make your own especially on youtube, for example I just found this one -

I've tried this, not bad if you can't get any of the real stuff, but (like an idiot) I was expecting it to taste the same as Lyle's. I'd love to know the secret recipe for it.

I saw Golden Syrup somewhere last week, could have been Rimping, but the usually have it (and treacle) at Kaseem. I noticed it because it was in plastic bottles rather than the tins - I brought a couple of bottles back from England and when used I decanted the tin, so much easier to use I wondered why they hadn't been available in bottles (plastic or glass) for decades. I wish they'd do the same with the treacle.

[Saan]

I wouldn't worry about the egg white as it used by many winemakers for fining wine. Egg whites, or albumen, is fining agent used to clarify wines. Egg whites are particularly good for removing tannin particles, especially green or harsh tannins in red wines, rendering the wine more round and soft in texture. Casein from milk can also be used and a variety of chemicals. I think Cedar Creek is an Australian wine and in Australia winemakers are required to include on their labels the use of substances that may be allergenic.

[Red Crab]

Have bought a tin of a Lyle's Golden Syrup at the Yok, today. They did not have it in December.

[Greenside]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Farangdanny]

Thank you. Anyone got a line on treacle?

It's a tough call trying to explain what it is in English, let alone Thai - try telling them you're looking for "uncrystallized syrup made during the refining of sugar" and watch their eyes glaze over....

I bought it in Rimping Meechok.

It's called Organic Molasses. 500cc.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Golden Syrup is just light syrup with dye.

Mitr Phol natural cane syrup, sold in Tesco on the sugar shelf.

about 45bht.

Nam Chuam

Very easy to ask for in Thai.

Try this ginger cake,

100g caster sugar

125g palm oil margarine

1 egg

225ml natural cane syrup

300g plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

50-100 ml hot water (enough to make cake mixture consistency)

Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Grease and flour a 23cm (9 in) square tin.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and margarine. Beat in the egg, and mix in the syrup.

In a bowl, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon & ginger. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared tin.

Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin before serving.

I adapted this from a western recipe to use Thai ingredients. Works well.

Edited January 27, 2015 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Konini]

Different syrups will do for some thing, but Golden Syrup has a very distinct taste, unlike anything I've tried. Here and in Australia either to try and save money or because I couldn't get it I bought others and have even made it myself once, but nothing else has that distinct Lyle's taste.

(That's an awful lot of syrup for a ginger cake, usually only a couple of spoonful's even for the really sticky ones).