Hi -

I found a nice little book called "Healthy and Easy Thai Cooking:
Healthy Thai Dishes You Can Make at Home (Healthy & Easy)" (isbn
9781901268430) at Borders for the bargain price of $3.99. Since it
originated in Thailand, I thought it might have some unusual and
interesting recipes, and at that price it was not much of a gamble.

Well, I got past the 'whiskered sheat fish' reference, thanks to google
(its a catfish), but the 'all-purpose sauce' is unexplained, except for
an indecipherable photograph. My local Thai grocery thinks they might
mean soy sauce, or perhaps Golden Mountain or Maggi Sauce, but I though
I'd throw the question open to the resident experts here. Anyone got a
definitive answer?

A second question relates to ketchup - do Thais use ketchup in any
recipe at all? This book gives a sweet & sour recipe using it. My
suspicion is that it has crept into the culture, while being deplored.

I could ask the same question about Chinese people too. A recent recipe
I used for "shrimp in garlic sauce" used ketchup as its base. The book
was giving American Chinese recipes in the main, to defend it (it was
"Potsticker Chronicles", fyi). I made the dish his way the first time,
but in future I'd use either tomato paste or tamarind concentrate, and
compensate the sugar. But do Chinese people use ketchup when they cook?"

Thanks for any knowledge any of you may have,

Ian

On Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:09:08 -0400, Ian > wrote:

>Hi -
>
>I found a nice little book called "Healthy and Easy Thai Cooking:
>Healthy Thai Dishes You Can Make at Home (Healthy & Easy)" (isbn
>9781901268430) at Borders for the bargain price of $3.99. Since it
>originated in Thailand, I thought it might have some unusual and
>interesting recipes, and at that price it was not much of a gamble.
>
>Well, I got past the 'whiskered sheat fish' reference, thanks to google
>(its a catfish), but the 'all-purpose sauce' is unexplained, except for
>an indecipherable photograph. My local Thai grocery thinks they might
>mean soy sauce, or perhaps Golden Mountain or Maggi Sauce, but I though
>I'd throw the question open to the resident experts here. Anyone got a
>definitive answer?

http://www.stellalucy.com/thaikitche...posesauce.aspx

On 10/17/2010 1:41 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:09:08 -0400, > wrote:
>
>> Hi -
>>
>> I found a nice little book called "Healthy and Easy Thai Cooking:
>> Healthy Thai Dishes You Can Make at Home (Healthy& Easy)" (isbn
>> 9781901268430) at Borders for the bargain price of $3.99. Since it
>> originated in Thailand, I thought it might have some unusual and
>> interesting recipes, and at that price it was not much of a gamble.
>>
>> Well, I got past the 'whiskered sheat fish' reference, thanks to google
>> (its a catfish), but the 'all-purpose sauce' is unexplained, except for
>> an indecipherable photograph. My local Thai grocery thinks they might
>> mean soy sauce, or perhaps Golden Mountain or Maggi Sauce, but I though
>> I'd throw the question open to the resident experts here. Anyone got a
>> definitive answer?
>
> http://www.stellalucy.com/thaikitche...posesauce.aspx
>

I have seen that use of the phrase 'All Purpose', but I think they only
mean to indicate that the chile sauce can be used for things other than
dipping.

I'm going to get out my magnifying glass and see if it makes thier
little picture any clearer.

Thanks,

Ian

On Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:09:08 -0400, Ian wrote:

> Hi -
>
> I found a nice little book called "Healthy and Easy Thai Cooking:
> Healthy Thai Dishes You Can Make at Home (Healthy & Easy)" (isbn
> 9781901268430) at Borders for the bargain price of $3.99. Since it
> originated in Thailand, I thought it might have some unusual and
> interesting recipes, and at that price it was not much of a gamble.
>
> Well, I got past the 'whiskered sheat fish' reference, thanks to google
> (its a catfish), but the 'all-purpose sauce' is unexplained, except for
> an indecipherable photograph. My local Thai grocery thinks they might
> mean soy sauce, or perhaps Golden Mountain or Maggi Sauce, but I though
> I'd throw the question open to the resident experts here. Anyone got a
> definitive answer?
>
> A second question relates to ketchup - do Thais use ketchup in any
> recipe at all? This book gives a sweet & sour recipe using it. My
> suspicion is that it has crept into the culture, while being deplored.
>
> I could ask the same question about Chinese people too. A recent recipe
> I used for "shrimp in garlic sauce" used ketchup as its base. The book
> was giving American Chinese recipes in the main, to defend it (it was
> "Potsticker Chronicles", fyi). I made the dish his way the first time,
> but in future I'd use either tomato paste or tamarind concentrate, and
> compensate the sugar. But do Chinese people use ketchup when they cook?"
>
> Thanks for any knowledge any of you may have,
>
> Ian

my understanding is that the chinese began using ketchup (mostly as an
ingredient in cooking, not as a condiment) pretty much as soon as it was
available to them.

some say that the word ketchup itself come from cantonese chinese:

<http://www.nickyee.com/ponder/ketchup.html>

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup#History>

you do see tomato ketchup from time to time as an ingredient for various
dishes in chinese cookbooks.

your pal,
blake

On 10/17/2010 3:27 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:09:08 -0400, Ian wrote:
>
>> I found a nice little book called "Healthy and Easy Thai Cooking:
>> Healthy Thai Dishes You Can Make at Home (Healthy& Easy)" (isbn
>> 9781901268430) at Borders for the bargain price of $3.99. Since it
>> originated in Thailand, I thought it might have some unusual and
>> interesting recipes, and at that price it was not much of a gamble.
>
> I saw the spine of that book the other day at Borders - it was the
> only Thai cookbook they had (no Chinese cookbooks at all) but I didn't
> pull it out since it said, "Healthy and easy". I figured it would be
> *******ized Thai food written by some bulimic, round-eyed woman.
>
> -sw

It was originally put out by Amarin Publishing in Thailand, and
translated to English by a person with a Thai-looking name. I share your
caution, but I think its better than that title.

My Borders also has copies of "The Foods of Thailand: Recipes from the
Famous Sukhothai Restaurant in Zurich". Its a very pretty book, and I
have a copy of it, but I never seem to get around to using it.

Cheers,

Ian

On 10/17/2010 3:45 PM, blake murphy wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:09:08 -0400, Ian wrote:
>
>> Hi -
>>
>> I found a nice little book called "Healthy and Easy Thai Cooking:
>> Healthy Thai Dishes You Can Make at Home (Healthy& Easy)" (isbn
>> 9781901268430) at Borders for the bargain price of $3.99. Since it
>> originated in Thailand, I thought it might have some unusual and
>> interesting recipes, and at that price it was not much of a gamble.
>>
>> Well, I got past the 'whiskered sheat fish' reference, thanks to google
>> (its a catfish), but the 'all-purpose sauce' is unexplained, except for
>> an indecipherable photograph. My local Thai grocery thinks they might
>> mean soy sauce, or perhaps Golden Mountain or Maggi Sauce, but I though
>> I'd throw the question open to the resident experts here. Anyone got a
>> definitive answer?
>>
>> A second question relates to ketchup - do Thais use ketchup in any
>> recipe at all? This book gives a sweet& sour recipe using it. My
>> suspicion is that it has crept into the culture, while being deplored.
>>
>> I could ask the same question about Chinese people too. A recent recipe
>> I used for "shrimp in garlic sauce" used ketchup as its base. The book
>> was giving American Chinese recipes in the main, to defend it (it was
>> "Potsticker Chronicles", fyi). I made the dish his way the first time,
>> but in future I'd use either tomato paste or tamarind concentrate, and
>> compensate the sugar. But do Chinese people use ketchup when they cook?"
>>
>> Thanks for any knowledge any of you may have,
>>
>> Ian
>
> my understanding is that the chinese began using ketchup (mostly as an
> ingredient in cooking, not as a condiment) pretty much as soon as it was
> available to them.
>
> some say that the word ketchup itself come from cantonese chinese:
>
> <http://www.nickyee.com/ponder/ketchup.html>
>
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup#History>
>
> you do see tomato ketchup from time to time as an ingredient for various
> dishes in chinese cookbooks.
>
> your pal,
> blake

That was very interesting. I never knew of the Chinese connection.

I read somewhere that the Chinese do not like tomatoes very much, and I
think their cooking bears that out, in that its not at all common as an
ingredient in their dishes.

My garlic sauce dish was spoiled by my knowledge - I could taste the
ketchup distinctly. If I hadn't known, I think I would have liked it better.

Cheers,

Ian

On 10/17/2010 8:17 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On 17 Oct 2010 21:47:08 GMT, Nick Cramer wrote:
>
>> > wrote:
>>> On Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:41:46 -0400, Boron Elgar wrote:
>>>
>>>> http://www.stellalucy.com/thaikitche...andall-purpose
>>>> sauce.aspx
>>>
>>> I really doubt that's what they had in mind. Nick will be here in a
>>> few hours and give his interpretation of what he thinks it means.
>>>
>>> I'm betting on Magi.
>>
>> Sweet Chili Sauce. Real good dip for chicken.
>
> That's the link above, yes. But I hope you're not saying that is a
> all-purpose cooking sauce, right? I've never seen a recipe call for
> cooking with sweet chili sauce outside of using it as a baste.
>
> Ian, is it used frequently enough in those recipes that it could be a
> soy type sauce? It's hard tro tell by one mystery reference to it.
>
>> We've got a couple of dozen bottles of sauces on the sideboy next to the
>> stove. Different combinations for different dishes and mood.
>
> I've seen the miniature version of it in person, and the unabridged
> version in pictures :-)
>
> -sw

I'll take a good look tomorrow and see how often its used. (A second
approach might be to find the same dish in another book, and see how
they make it.) I think my feeling was that the Thais had something they
called 'All Purpose Sauce', but its not looking like thats the case at
all, which makes this book's use of the term all the stranger.

I'm starting to think its Golden Mountain and/or Maggi Sauce thats intended.

More tomorrow,

Cheers,

Ian

On 10/17/2010 10:43 PM, Ian wrote:
> On 10/17/2010 8:17 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
>> On 17 Oct 2010 21:47:08 GMT, Nick Cramer wrote:
>>
>>> > wrote:
>>>> On Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:41:46 -0400, Boron Elgar wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> http://www.stellalucy.com/thaikitche...andall-purpose
>>>>>
>>>>> sauce.aspx
>>>>
>>>> I really doubt that's what they had in mind. Nick will be here in a
>>>> few hours and give his interpretation of what he thinks it means.
>>>>
>>>> I'm betting on Magi.
>>>
>>> Sweet Chili Sauce. Real good dip for chicken.
>>
>> That's the link above, yes. But I hope you're not saying that is a
>> all-purpose cooking sauce, right? I've never seen a recipe call for
>> cooking with sweet chili sauce outside of using it as a baste.
>>
>> Ian, is it used frequently enough in those recipes that it could be a
>> soy type sauce? It's hard tro tell by one mystery reference to it.
>>
>>> We've got a couple of dozen bottles of sauces on the sideboy next to the
>>> stove. Different combinations for different dishes and mood.
>>
>> I've seen the miniature version of it in person, and the unabridged
>> version in pictures :-)
>>
>> -sw
>
> I'll take a good look tomorrow and see how often its used. (A second
> approach might be to find the same dish in another book, and see how
> they make it.) I think my feeling was that the Thais had something they
> called 'All Purpose Sauce', but its not looking like thats the case at
> all, which makes this book's use of the term all the stranger.
>
> I'm starting to think its Golden Mountain and/or Maggi Sauce thats
> intended.
>
> More tomorrow,
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ian

Well, based on my casual count (the book lacks an index, unfortunately),
the sauce is used in 5 recipes - stir-fried noodles & rice, a baked
vermicelli w. shrimps, fried spiced chicken, and chicken satay. No clear
pattern.

I had hopes that Thais had a semi-standard sauce they used as a base
ingredient, but nobody here has said anything to support that theory.

Leela has a recipe for her own all-purpose sauce he
http://www.shesimmers.com/2010/01/so...g-and-how.html


I'm not at all sure thats the same kind of thing either, though.

Cheers,

Ian

On 10/18/2010 10:34 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:15:15 -0400, Ian wrote:
>
>> Leela has a recipe for her own all-purpose sauce he
>> http://www.shesimmers.com/2010/01/so...g-and-how.html
>>
>> I'm not at all sure thats the same kind of thing either, though.
>
> I just took a glance at the site and she claims that fish sauce has
> the taste and consistency of thin soy sauce. Say What?
>
> She seems to ramble a lot, too. I didn't read the page very well but
> it kinda makes me wonder about her qualifications.
>
> Also that cooking rice wine she shows "Michu", is the most gawd awful
> rice wine you can buy. Yes, it's cooking rice wine. Which makes it
> gawd awful to begin with, but that stuff is the worst of the worst.
>
> If you have to buy rice wine for cooing (salt added), buy:
>
> Lily Brand Shaoxing Cooking Wine in 25.4oz square bottle
>
> Otherwise just use sake or mirin.
>
> -sw

Leela has some really nice recipes and is very nice, so look past any
little glitches! I use Shaoxing for just about all Chinese cooking,
except when I use sherry or brandy, which is not often.

Cheers,

Ian

Hello,

Where could I possibly found those great sauces each one ever wanted?
This could be a big help for me .


Thanks!