Khao Man Gai - looking for fermented beans without chemicals

[roman50]

Hello All,

Khao Man Gai. Looking for "Fermented beans" without all the chemicals or a substitute???

We enjoy cooking and are sharing with friends / neighbors (California).

Khao Man Gai is easy to prepare and fits the local tastes. The ingredients are all fresh and natural except the fermented beans.

The fermented beans that are the principle ingredient for the sauce is full of stuff that we can not pronounce.

Anybody know of fermented beans without the chemicals? or a substitute?

Thanks,

Roman

[sunnyjim5]

Do you know of any food which is not made up of "chemicals" ?

Best you are specific about the "chemicals" you want to avoid.

[roman50]

Thanks for the reply, do not have the bottle of fermented soy beans in front of me.... But

All that we have found in Thailand and locally have included heavy salts and preservatives that do give a 'taste".

Would like to find a "healthy" substitute to go with the other fresh ingredients........

Anybody have experience or suggestions??

Thanks

[mrjohn]

Khao Man Gai is street/restaurant food, designed to be made in large quantities, not really for domestic preparation.

However, if you are already making Khao man Gai then the dipping sauce (nam jim) is the least of your worries.

There are any number of different dipping sauces served throughout Thailand with this sort of dish.

For example, I used to eat it regularly for breakfast in Krabi and it was always served with a fairly sweet Nam prik kapi on the side, and very good it was too.

Having looked at a bottle of Healthy Boy, Soy bean sauce, Formula One (which is the one that I use) I can discern but one single chemical, namely monosodium glutamate. Of course it’s possible you might consider salt and sugar to be chemicals, which indeed they are, but then……………………..

Try using tamarind as a base for your sauce with soy and ginger, plus chopped spring onions or shallots.

If Thai style fermented bean sauces are really not for you, then the other possibility is Japanese miso which is very similar in flavour and probably more “natural” or Californian.

[roman50]

Hello MrJohn,

Thanks for your reply. We like to cook and often in large quantities. Our last "test" of khao man gai was for 16 people

Our friends and neighbors have been asking when they can "buy some" Thai food.

Khao man gai is easy to prepare. As well as a few other dishes.

For our area, fermented beans without the "chemical taste" would be a better.

Your response has helped, we will try a tamarind base.

PS, cooking is just a hobby for us.

thanks again

Roman

[chefseph]

Proper Khan man gai is not as easy as you make it sound. Quite time consuming but worth it in big quantities.