I have seen a white chemical powder that is used to accelerate the growth and fruiting of Lam Yai, it is generally mixed with water and other chemicals and sprayed on the trees.

The Thais call it "Sarn" or "Saan" - Does anyone know if this is what I think it might be, Salt Petre or Pottasium Nitrate - KNO3? (Not Pottasium nitrite - which I can already get - known as pink salt)

Reason being I already dry cure basic bacon using the pink salt cure, but wanted to have a go at making the longer dry cure which requires the KNO3 (for Salami etc.) I cannot find anywhere locally that sells KNO3 for suring purposes, so wondered if anyone knew it this Sarn chemical is in fact KNO3.

Thanks.

It's potassium chlorate, not sure but i guess you can make firework from it.

Thanks for that, probably not the best idea to put it in a cure for bacon then! I think you must be right as my wife told me not to smoke in the bathroom where she has stored about 150KG of the stuff!

Thanks for that, probably not the best idea to put it in a cure for bacon then! I think you must be right as my wife told me not to smoke in the bathroom where she has stored about 150KG of the stuff!

I'm not sure but this might be the chemical to make bombs as well, very illegal in Europe.

For bacon you can find plenty recipes on the web. It's the stuff that causes darmcancer that is used. Maybe there's also an alternative for it.

We like the big blocks smoked bacon (Foodland), dice it and then fry, great with endyvie mixed with mashed potato's, some vinegar on top.. Don't know if that's also cured.

Potassium nitrate you can buy in all gardenshops, makes mangotree's bloom when sprayed.

It is indeed Potassium nitrate. It is mixed with charcoal to make gunpowder which is then used to fuel the Isaan rockets made from blue plastic pipes.

I dry cure bacon using sea salt and other stuff, nitrates and nitrites are used in commercial cures and can be toxic if used incorrectly. Bacon you buy is normally injected with the curing solution, cured, sometimes smoked with "liquid smoke" (also injected) and cooked in a matter of hours, hardly a natural process.

I'm not sure about the Thai word "saan" that you mention, but as a former lamyai/longan grower I know that Thian is right on, Potassium chlorate is used to promote early flowering and fruiting in order to beat the rush to market and get higher prices for an early crop.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/potassium-chlorate-longan-trees-57368.html