I was given a bottle of Thai "sweet chili sauce". The label says Mae Ploy.
The ingrediens list sugar, water,pickled red chilli,garlic.
The taste isn't bad but it is terribly sweet.
Unfortunately I'm not fond of anything very sweet.
Kind of reminds me of the bright red sweet and sour pork available at cheap
Chinese takeouts.
So....how shall I use this sauce, since I've now brilliantly opened the
bottle.
Any suggestions appreciated.Thank you.
M

"Musashi" > wrote:
> I was given a bottle of Thai "sweet chili sauce". The label says Mae
> Ploy. The ingrediens list sugar, water,pickled red chilli,garlic.
> The taste isn't bad but it is terribly sweet.
> Unfortunately I'm not fond of anything very sweet.
> Kind of reminds me of the bright red sweet and sour pork available at
> cheap Chinese takeouts.
> So....how shall I use this sauce, since I've now brilliantly opened the
> bottle.
> Any suggestions appreciated.Thank you.
>
Sounds very much like a Thai Wonton Sauce, but my walking dictionary's not
home.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families:
http://saluteheroes.org/ & http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

"Musashi" > wrote in message
m...
> I was given a bottle of Thai "sweet chili sauce". The label says Mae Ploy.
> The ingrediens list sugar, water,pickled red chilli,garlic.
> The taste isn't bad but it is terribly sweet.
> Unfortunately I'm not fond of anything very sweet.
> Kind of reminds me of the bright red sweet and sour pork available at
cheap
> Chinese takeouts.
> So....how shall I use this sauce, since I've now brilliantly opened the
> bottle.
> Any suggestions appreciated.Thank you.
> M

Mae Ploy is the brand name, it's from Thailand & i'm sure Nick's Jun can
confirm that. It's a fairly common sweet chilli sauce for dipping anything
like wontons, spring rolls etc. etc. It's also a fairly easy sauce to make,
it consists of finely chopped red chillis although i like to pound mine up
to a paste, then add sugar, vinegar & gently simmer till it reaches a sticky
consistency. You can of course google for the recipe & make it less sweet. A
trick is to add a little salt to cut back the sweetness & bring back the
sourness of the vinegar, do this gently on the simmer. Once you've learnt
how to make it.... you won't bother with any of the branded ones.

A good way of using up & getting rid of the bottle is to add it to any
recipes/cooking that requires both sugar & chilli or a dish that has a
slight 'tart' sharpness to it. Add it towards the end of the cooking &
hopefully it won't be that sweet for you. The alternative is to get your
wok/frypan smoking hot with oil, add large amounts of the sauce & caramelise
the sauce till thick w/o burning it then add vegs & water/stock to finish of
your sweet & sour or spicy sweet & sour. This is how some Chinese
takeaways/takeouts use to do it before they had the ready made gloopy sauces
you find today.

DC.

DC.

It's usually used for grilled chicken (is there a picture of a grilled
or roasted chicken on the label?). But my family usually uses it as a
sauce for fried spring rolls--I find it to be best with meat-only (i.e.
no noodles, no vegetables except perhaps onions) spring rolls. You
might prefer the from-scratch version, which is less sweet, and less
thick.

DC. wrote:
> "Musashi" > wrote in message
> m...
>> I was given a bottle of Thai "sweet chili sauce". The label says Mae Ploy.
>> The ingrediens list sugar, water,pickled red chilli,garlic.
>> The taste isn't bad but it is terribly sweet.
>> Unfortunately I'm not fond of anything very sweet.
>> Kind of reminds me of the bright red sweet and sour pork available at cheap
>> Chinese takeouts.
>> So....how shall I use this sauce, since I've now brilliantly opened the
>> bottle.
>> Any suggestions appreciated.Thank you.
>> M
>
> Mae Ploy is the brand name, it's from Thailand & i'm sure Nick's Jun can
> confirm that. It's a fairly common sweet chilli sauce for dipping anything
> like wontons, spring rolls etc. etc. It's also a fairly easy sauce to make,
> it consists of finely chopped red chillis although i like to pound mine up
> to a paste, then add sugar, vinegar & gently simmer till it reaches a sticky
> consistency. You can of course google for the recipe & make it less sweet. A
> trick is to add a little salt to cut back the sweetness & bring back the
> sourness of the vinegar, do this gently on the simmer. Once you've learnt
> how to make it.... you won't bother with any of the branded ones.
>
> A good way of using up & getting rid of the bottle is to add it to any
> recipes/cooking that requires both sugar & chilli or a dish that has a
> slight 'tart' sharpness to it. Add it towards the end of the cooking &
> hopefully it won't be that sweet for you. The alternative is to get your
> wok/frypan smoking hot with oil, add large amounts of the sauce & caramelise
> the sauce till thick w/o burning it then add vegs & water/stock to finish of
> your sweet & sour or spicy sweet & sour. This is how some Chinese
> takeaways/takeouts use to do it before they had the ready made gloopy sauces
> you find today.
>
> DC.
>
> DC.

Adding some Chinese vinegar in the bottle can help too !

Philippe

"DC." > wrote:
> "Musashi" > wrote in message
>
> > I was given a bottle of Thai "sweet chili sauce". The label says Mae
> > Ploy. . . .
>
> Mae Ploy is the brand name, it's from Thailand & i'm sure Nick's Jun can
> confirm that. It's a fairly common sweet chilli sauce for dipping
> anything like wontons, spring rolls etc. etc.

DC is correct on both counts. We always have a bottle of it on hand.

> It's also a fairly easy
> sauce to make, it consists of finely chopped red chillis although i like
> to pound mine up to a paste, then add sugar, vinegar & gently simmer till
> it reaches a sticky consistency. You can of course google for the recipe
> & make it less sweet. A trick is to add a little salt to cut back the
> sweetness & bring back the sourness of the vinegar, do this gently on the
> simmer. Once you've learnt how to make it.... you won't bother with any
> of the branded ones.

It's so cheap, that we don't find it worth making. Many brands available.
>
> A good way of using up & getting rid of the bottle is to add it to any
> recipes/cooking that requires both sugar & chilli or a dish that has a
> slight 'tart' sharpness to it. . . .

Jun does that, too.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families:
http://saluteheroes.org/ & http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

"Rona Y" > wrote:
> It's usually used for grilled chicken (is there a picture of a grilled
> or roasted chicken on the label?). But my family usually uses it as a
> sauce for fried spring rolls--I find it to be best with meat-only (i.e.
> no noodles, no vegetables except perhaps onions) spring rolls. You
> might prefer the from-scratch version, which is less sweet, and less
> thick.

Rona! Is that you? How've you been? Good to hear from you.

Yes, I also like it on grilled or fried chicken and shrimp egg rolls.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families:
http://saluteheroes.org/ & http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

It's me! I'm good, thanks for asking! I gave up my usenet isp a
number of months ago so am not around as often. The few posts a month
on afa and the annoyances on rfc didn't make it worthwhile anymore. I
still read via Google Groups sometimes, though.

On the topic of Asian food...I was going to spend Christmas in Thailand
again, but instead am heading to Bali with a short stopover in
Singapore! I'm making up my food lists now :-)!

On 23 Sep 2005 16:17:57 -0700, Rona Y > wrote:
> It's me! I'm good, thanks for asking! I gave up my usenet isp a
> number of months ago so am not around as often. The few posts a month
> on afa and the annoyances on rfc didn't make it worthwhile anymore. I
> still read via Google Groups sometimes, though.
>
> On the topic of Asian food...I was going to spend Christmas in Thailand
> again, but instead am heading to Bali with a short stopover in
> Singapore! I'm making up my food lists now :-)!

Rona, good to see you again! But now I'm all jealous about your Christmas
trip. While we're probably going to be shoveling snow, have some chili crabs
and kway teow for us!

Ariane

In article > , "Musashi"
> wrote:

> I was given a bottle of Thai "sweet chili sauce". The label says Mae
> Ploy.
> The ingrediens list sugar, water,pickled red chilli,garlic.
> The taste isn't bad but it is terribly sweet.
> Unfortunately I'm not fond of anything very sweet.
> Kind of reminds me of the bright red sweet and sour pork available at
> cheap
> Chinese takeouts.
> So....how shall I use this sauce, since I've now brilliantly opened the
> bottle.
> Any suggestions appreciated.Thank you.
> M
>
>

I know that sauce very well. It's supposed to be for grilled chicken.
It's one of those "on-hand at all times" sauces. I usually buy it by the
quart.
ANYTHING fried or oven-fried benefits from it. I particularly like it on
fish sticks!
I use it as an ingredient in barbecue sauces when I make them. it's also
a winner mixed into ketchup or mayo or even sour cream.
'Maesri' is another brand of it-(kind of a Hunt's to MaePloy's Heinz)
try it, too if you run across it.
There's a yellow colored version that is for use with fish, but it's not
as garlicky.

monroe(who usually has about 12 different hot sauces in the fridge door)

And wouldn't you know it, kway teow is near the top of my must-eat list
(along with Tien Tien chicken rice)! Chili crabs are always on my
list, but since I'll be on my own this time, I'd never be able to eat a
whole order (especially not after the crab fiesta of last year--see
http://community.webshots.com/album/283218830uKUVjR if you're
interested).

BTW, I almost went to Malaysia, but my mother really wants to go, too,
so I thought I'd be nice and wait for her :-). Maybe next year!

"Rona Y" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> And wouldn't you know it, kway teow is near the top of my must-eat list
> (along with Tien Tien chicken rice)! Chili crabs are always on my
> list, but since I'll be on my own this time, I'd never be able to eat a
> whole order (especially not after the crab fiesta of last year--see
> http://community.webshots.com/album/283218830uKUVjR if you're
> interested).

makes me hungry! btw... don't say kani nabe in singapore, i believe it's a
rude word there! in a japanese restaurant sure... but not outside ; )
do me a favour, head to Takashimaya the big japanese shopping mall & you'll
find a hawker centre in the basement, there's a small stall that sells
nothing but curry puff, the pastry is amazing! you'll need to meet some
locals & get them to bring you out for food!

> BTW, I almost went to Malaysia, but my mother really wants to go, too,
> so I thought I'd be nice and wait for her :-). Maybe next year!

jump on a bus & you'll be in Johor in 20mins, grab some lunch or dinner &
you'll be back in no time at all ; )

DC. (who can only dream...)

Rona Y wrote on 23 Sep 2005 in alt.food.asian

> It's me! I'm good, thanks for asking! I gave up my usenet isp a
> number of months ago so am not around as often. The few posts a month
> on afa and the annoyances on rfc didn't make it worthwhile anymore. I
> still read via Google Groups sometimes, though.
>

You are missed (formerly HaHabogus).

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

DC. wrote:
>
> makes me hungry! btw... don't say kani nabe in singapore, i believe it's a
> rude word there! in a japanese restaurant sure... but not outside ; )
> do me a favour, head to Takashimaya the big japanese shopping mall & you'll
> find a hawker centre in the basement, there's a small stall that sells
> nothing but curry puff, the pastry is amazing!

I used to love curry puffs when I was a teenager! But I overdosed on
them, and haven't been able to stand the sight of them since then.
Perhaps with this recommendation, I'll get over my aversion and love
them once more!

I just thought of something...Is the curry puff the traditional
Singaporean-style (almost like a flaky, layered samosa dough)or is it
the puff pastry kind? If it's the former, then I'll have no problem
eating it at all! Which may not be a good thing....for my body-fat
percentage, anyway :-)

>you'll need to meet some
> locals & get them to bring you out for food!
>

My mother and I met up with truecol (aka Jason) last year. Actually, I
also have a cousin (second cousin) there that I could meet up with.
But I feel odd dining with people I don't know very well...my shyness
starts coming through :-D!

>
> jump on a bus & you'll be in Johor in 20mins, grab some lunch or dinner &
> you'll be back in no time at all ; )
>

We were going to do that last year, but couldn't get a bus down. OK,
OK, I know you can take a regular bus there, but we were looking for an
easy way ie a tour. They were all full by the time we tried to book
one!

I'm going to try again this time, though. I have a very short
time--two full days and one half day--in Singapore, so I need to budget
my time wisely. I also made the mistake of being there from Dec. 30
(late evening arrival) till Jan. 2 (early evening departure). I sure
hope all the stores and restaurants aren't closed! We were there last
year during New Year's, too, and I only remember the rain. That and we
left on Jan. 1, right after our stomach-bloating but oh-so-good New
Year's brunch at the Four Seasons. My stomach hurts just thinking
about it!

> DC. (who can only dream...)

Ah, but sometimes dreams can become reality :-).

rona (using way too many smiley faces in this post...:-) Sorry! I
couldn't help myself!)

"Rona Y" > wrote in message
ups.com...
<snip>
> I just thought of something...Is the curry puff the traditional
> Singaporean-style (almost like a flaky, layered samosa dough)or is it
> the puff pastry kind? If it's the former, then I'll have no problem
> eating it at all! Which may not be a good thing....for my body-fat
> percentage, anyway :-)

quite hard to describe it... i think it's deep fried but not the traditional
single layered ones, it's *double layered*?? or something... i think you
fold the 2 layers of pastry together or something, i have the recipe
somewhere but the final result is a very crispy flaky pastry, def. not puff
pastry! i think you can find this type of curry puff at most places, it's
quite popular now... it's quite a few years since i had it but something at
the back of my head tells me polar cafe? (don't know why i recall this)
sells them? but i do recall the cream(cold egg custard) puffs they sell...
drooool... oh they were good, sometimes it's a bit too hot to eat creamy
rich food in a humid place but this went down quite a few times very nicely!

> My mother and I met up with truecol (aka Jason) last year. Actually, I
> also have a cousin (second cousin) there that I could meet up with.
> But I feel odd dining with people I don't know very well...my shyness
> starts coming through :-D!

yes i remember that post from last year? so you did meet him & i hope he
showed you some good places to eat too ; ) nothing better then a local
guide. Shyness? huh... when there's good food around, shyness soon
disappears as everyone tucks in... survival of the fittest style.

> We were going to do that last year, but couldn't get a bus down. OK,
> OK, I know you can take a regular bus there, but we were looking for an
> easy way ie a tour. They were all full by the time we tried to book
> one!

a food tour? of course... only in singapore eh ; ) that place is just food
mad.

> I'm going to try again this time, though. I have a very short
> time--two full days and one half day--in Singapore, so I need to budget
> my time wisely. I also made the mistake of being there from Dec. 30
> (late evening arrival) till Jan. 2 (early evening departure). I sure
> hope all the stores and restaurants aren't closed!

somehow i don't think they will but what you might find is that the more
expensive places will have special menus or buffets for $$ & if i'm
correct... the drug or poison of choice there is alcohol so there'll be lots
of people going out for drinks over NY. I'd steer clear of that & just head
down to a local hawker centre where it's more suitable/convienient for
single or a few people eating. Oh gawd... i don't know why i've got cakes on
my mind... go look for a cake shop called bagawan solo & try a few *nonya
kuihs* & make sure one of them is kuih lapis. Then before you leave, i think
they have a small shop in the airport & buy a big block of kuih lapis... i
did the last time, it keeps pretty well in the freezer so months after your
holiday, you can still savour the memories so to speak ; )

> We were there last
> year during New Year's, too, and I only remember the rain. That and we
> left on Jan. 1, right after our stomach-bloating but oh-so-good New
> Year's brunch at the Four Seasons. My stomach hurts just thinking
> about it!

you might want to consider the busy but very colourful, noisy & yummy period
of Chinese new year the next time... bloating? nah.. just explode from all
that good food ; )

DC.

"DC." > wrote:
> <snip>
> > I just thought of something...Is the curry puff the traditional
> > Singaporean-style (almost like a flaky, layered samosa dough)or is it
> > the puff pastry kind? If it's the former, then I'll have no problem
> > eating it at all! Which may not be a good thing....for my body-fat
> > percentage, anyway :-)
>
> quite hard to describe it... i think it's deep fried but not the
> traditional single layered ones, it's *double layered*?? or
> something...[]

That's the way Jun makes her Thai Curry Puffs. She uses two different
recipes for the two layers of dough. Even though they're deep fried, you
can refrigerate them, nuke them and still have them be crisp outside.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families:
http://saluteheroes.org/ & http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

My thanks to everyone who answered on this thread.
I looked at the bottle again but what I thought looked like chicken
initially
now looks more like two portkchops.
Anyway I saw a bottle today of some other brand..Sriracha maybe with a
picture of
a rooster and it said "HOT chilli sauce" and I wished I had gotten that
instead.
Anyway, again thanks very much to all. although totally unrelated, I'm in a
good mood as
I had a nice Chirashi zushi for lunch and my Cha-Shu for dinner came out
pretty nice.
M

On 24 Sep 2005 04:06:38 -0700, Rona Y > wrote:
> And wouldn't you know it, kway teow is near the top of my must-eat list
> (along with Tien Tien chicken rice)! Chili crabs are always on my
> list, but since I'll be on my own this time, I'd never be able to eat a
> whole order (especially not after the crab fiesta of last year--see
> http://community.webshots.com/album/283218830uKUVjR if you're
> interested).

Fantastic photos, Rona. How was the raw crab? I've never had that or
even seen it offered here, but it's something I'd like to try. Hehe,
can't believe you guys ate alllll that.

> BTW, I almost went to Malaysia, but my mother really wants to go, too,
> so I thought I'd be nice and wait for her :-). Maybe next year!

My parents are thinking about making a trip to Australia/New Zealand next
year, with a short stopover in Singapore. Not sure if we'll accompany them
this time, the scheduling is sort of screwy. I haven't been to Singapore
since I was 12, though, and Erik would love to see it.

Ariane

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 00:50:06 GMT, "Musashi" >
wrote:

>My thanks to everyone who answered on this thread.
>I looked at the bottle again but what I thought looked like chicken
>initially
>now looks more like two portkchops.
>Anyway I saw a bottle today of some other brand..Sriracha maybe with a
>picture of
>a rooster and it said "HOT chilli sauce" and I wished I had gotten that
>instead.

Sriracha is quite different! Very garlicky and very hot (to most
palates). I use it to bring a little garlic and heat to most
anything. I even use it as a ketchup substitute for hotdogs and
western sausages. We never run out of that stuff in our home. From
your original post, I suggest you get some and find 1,000 ways to use
it.

>Anyway, again thanks very much to all. although totally unrelated, I'm in a
>good mood as
>I had a nice Chirashi zushi for lunch and my Cha-Shu for dinner came out
>pretty nice.
>M

- John Frawley

"Musashi" > wrote:
> My thanks to everyone who answered on this thread.
> I looked at the bottle again but what I thought looked like chicken
> initially
> now looks more like two portkchops.
> Anyway I saw a bottle today of some other brand..Sriracha maybe with a
> picture of
> a rooster and it said "HOT chilli sauce" and I wished I had gotten that
> instead.
> Anyway, again thanks very much to all. although totally unrelated, I'm in
> a good mood as
> I had a nice Chirashi zushi for lunch and my Cha-Shu for dinner came out
> pretty nice.
>
I would recommend the Sriracha sauce from Sriracha, Thailand. It goes fast
here!

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled War on Terror Veterans and
their families:
http://saluteheroes.org/ & http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

In article > , "Musashi"
> wrote:

> My thanks to everyone who answered on this thread.
> I looked at the bottle again but what I thought looked like chicken
> initially
> now looks more like two portkchops.
> Anyway I saw a bottle today of some other brand..Sriracha maybe with a
> picture of
> a rooster and it said "HOT chilli sauce" and I wished I had gotten that
> instead.

Ah Yes! "Tong ot toi vietnam" chili garlic sauce, IIRC.
Another of the "always on hand" sauces. I've been using it for decades.
Mix it into eggs before scrambling. Smear it on pizza. Heck, I eat it
mixed with rice, even!
Great stuff!

monroe(look for the chili onion version, too)

DC. wrote:
>
> quite hard to describe it... i think it's deep fried but not the traditional
> single layered ones, it's *double layered*?? or something... i think you
> fold the 2 layers of pastry together or something, i have the recipe
> somewhere but the final result is a very crispy flaky pastry, def. not puff
> pastry! i think you can find this type of curry puff at most places, it's
> quite popular now...

I love those ones! My mother became addicted to the sardine ones--not
curried, but a bit tomato-y. I liked the curried potato ones. I'm
going to be eating a lot of those, I think!

>it's quite a few years since i had it but something at
> the back of my head tells me polar cafe? (don't know why i recall this)
> sells them? but i do recall the cream(cold egg custard) puffs they sell...
> drooool... oh they were good, sometimes it's a bit too hot to eat creamy
> rich food in a humid place but this went down quite a few times very nicely!
>

If they're still there, I'll eat some and take some pictures for you
:0).

>
> somehow i don't think they will but what you might find is that the more
> expensive places will have special menus or buffets for $$ & if i'm
> correct... the drug or poison of choice there is alcohol so there'll be lots
> of people going out for drinks over NY. I'd steer clear of that & just head
> down to a local hawker centre where it's more suitable/convienient for
> single or a few people eating. Oh gawd... i don't know why i've got cakes on
> my mind... go look for a cake shop called bagawan solo & try a few *nonya
> kuihs* & make sure one of them is kuih lapis.

I don't know why, but we didn't have any Singaporean or Malaysian
desserts when we were there. We did have a roll cake from a bakery in
the basement of Robinson's, but that was pretty much it. Oh, we had
gulab jamun and jileba from Little India. I'm going to bring some back
for sure!

>
> you might want to consider the busy but very colourful, noisy & yummy period
> of Chinese new year the next time... bloating? nah.. just explode from all
> that good food ; )
>

In 2003 we were supposed to go during the Singapore Food Festival, but
that was smack in the middle of the SARS epidemic, so we cancelled that
leg of the trip. I was so disappointed! But every day is a good food
day in Singapore!

"Rona Y" > wrote in message
ups.com...
<snip>
> I love those ones! My mother became addicted to the sardine ones--not
> curried, but a bit tomato-y. I liked the curried potato ones. I'm
> going to be eating a lot of those, I think!

Ah yes.. the tomato sardines.. straight out of a tin, use to get sandwiches
made up with meshed up tomato sardines... brings back memories ; ) hehee...
i think anything your mum has a craving for, it'll do me as well.

> > sells them? but i do recall the cream(cold egg custard) puffs they
sell...
> > drooool... oh they were good, sometimes it's a bit too hot to eat creamy
> > rich food in a humid place but this went down quite a few times very
nicely!
>
> If they're still there, I'll eat some and take some pictures for you
> :0).

After your trip to France, i think you'll like these, it's an old colonial
dessert that's adapted to local climes. Can't get fresh cream back then so
cold egg custard was used. It's generously filled up inside a choux pastry,
just like an eclair but round bun like, no chocolate but full of cold
custard! have a few for me. I spoke to a relative who lives there this
morning, she says go to Centrepoint - basement level where the supermarket
is but don't go in, go right where there's a passage way leading to
restaurants. You'll find bagawab solo there as well as Prima rest/cafe,
they're the guys selling ready made spice packs of laksa, chilli crab & all
your favourites for overseas travel. Damn i wish i was going too.

> I don't know why, but we didn't have any Singaporean or Malaysian
> desserts when we were there. We did have a roll cake from a bakery in
> the basement of Robinson's, but that was pretty much it. Oh, we had
> gulab jamun and jileba from Little India. I'm going to bring some back
> for sure!

plenty of time for that on your next trip.

> In 2003 we were supposed to go during the Singapore Food Festival, but
> that was smack in the middle of the SARS epidemic, so we cancelled that
> leg of the trip. I was so disappointed! But every day is a good food
> day in Singapore!

funny you should mention that... i'm suppose to be going next July with my
french chef friend to check it out but it looks like i'm going to be busy
with work here but my friend is planning on looking for work there! if he
does... & i go visit him when he settles down there, i would be eating my
way through the country! Oh the thought of that... drooool

DC.

"John Frawley" > wrote...
> Sriracha is quite different! Very garlicky and very hot (to most
> palates). I use it to bring a little garlic and heat to most
> anything. I even use it as a ketchup substitute for hotdogs and
> western sausages. We never run out of that stuff in our home. From
> your original post, I suggest you get some and find 1,000 ways to use
> it.

Yeah, I got a bottle of Sriracha, that Vietnamese chile/garlic sauce.
I like it, it's hot but not TOO hot as many American and Mexican
brands are. But there is one brand of chile sauce I love that is
just perfect, Salsa Tamazula from Guadalajara and it is medium-hot
with a rich chile flavor and doesn't burn so you can use as much as
you want. They do make an extra-hot version, so make sure you get
the regular. I just used my last few drops on my tacos last night,
now I have to drive a very long way to the FoodMaxx in either
Concord or Newark (CA) to get more (only about $0.89 for 140ml).

Mr Libido Incognito wrote:
>
> You are missed (formerly HaHabogus).
>

Thanks! :-) If you're ever really really missing me, I'm over on
e-Gullet most of the time :-) (along with some other rfc ex-pats).

rona

Ariane Jenkins wrote:
>
> Fantastic photos, Rona. How was the raw crab? I've never had that or
> even seen it offered here, but it's something I'd like to try. Hehe,
> can't believe you guys ate alllll that.
>

I don't really remember much of that meal. I think I blocked it out.
I felt so sick after all that crab, I couldn't bear to even look at
crab again. We were each given a huge cooked crab to take home, plus I
was given some of the leftovers, and they both sat in my freezer for
several months before finally going into the garbage. I think I only
ate the equivalent to 1/2 a large crab, though. The big eaters were
the three women pictured (Ashiya, Otani, and Mineno). They could
*eat*! I think they each ate the equivalent to 4 large crabs and
no...I'm not exaggerating. I couldn't believe it! Even the men only
ate about 2 large crabs each.

>
> My parents are thinking about making a trip to Australia/New Zealand next
> year, with a short stopover in Singapore. Not sure if we'll accompany them
> this time, the scheduling is sort of screwy. I haven't been to Singapore
> since I was 12, though, and Erik would love to see it.
>

Get them to reschedule to suit your needs! From what I saw of your
Malaysia pictures, I think Erik would love Singapore. I don't consider
it a great tourist destination, but it's really a great food
destination. I think the only touristy thing I've ever done in
Singapore that I really enjoyed was seeing the Changi Prison Museum.
That and shopping for sari fabric at Mustapha's in Little India.
Everything else enjoyable was food related.

I'm making myself wistful for Singaporean food. I'm going to buy some
Hainanese chicken rice sauce this time, too. My mother bought some and
she talks about it all the time, making me jealous!