Salting and sun-drying are common preservation methods applied to perishable ingredients like meat and fish: The end product can be stored for a long period and, meanwhile, the savory umami flavors intensify and become more concentrated.
In this dish, umami-charged, salted sun-dried beef is gently grilled over charcoal, adding smoke and caramelized elements that emerge in the core of the flavor profile, alongside the umami and the savor of fat. The meat is then cut into bite-size pieces, and slowly braised in thick coconut milk. The coconut fits perfectly onto the triangle of umami, fat and smoke. It brings its own umami and fatty shades, and introduces a rich sweetness that pairs seamlessly with the caramelized character of the grilled beef. The braising also rehydrates the beef and softens it. Bamboo shoots, shallots, galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves are added, perfecting the dish with a complementary sweetness, echoing the umami hues, and cutting citrusy notes while creating hidden astringent layers. The dish is finished with fresh chili peppers and hair-thin julienned kaffir lime for a fresh aroma and piquant bite.
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This dish is yet another demonstration of how Siamese culinary wisdom employs just a few common household ingredients and basic cooking techniques to create a dish bearing a sophisticated flavor profile and pleasing textures.
The name of this dish suggests that, in the old days, watery dishes were generally referred to as “curry” (gaaeng, แกง,) with or without the presence of a curry paste. This dish most likely evolved from tom yam soup; the shallots, galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves – besides improving the dish’s taste and aroma – also naturally facilitate the digestion of the meat.
The dish should have clear notes of sourness, to counterbalance the almost cloying richness of the coconut and beef.
Pickled bamboo shoots are used, but if fresh, crunchy bamboo shoots are used, more tamarind paste should be added to compensate.
The recipe we present today is from Mrs. Samaknantapol (Jeep Bunnag) (นางสมรรคนันทพล, จีบ บุนนาค) (1889-1964), from her 1933 book “Sam Rap Raawp Bpee, Volume II” (“สำรับรอบปี”). Jeep Bunnag was the granddaughter of culinary legend Lady Plean Passakornrawong, the author of the 1908 cookbook “Maae Khruaa Huaa Bpaa” (แม่ครัวหัวป่าก์).
Cooking tips:
- Wash the sun-dried beef thoroughly before grilling. This rinsing removes excess saltiness as well.
- Sun-dried beef can be replaced with a firm meat or a salted fish such as salted snakeskin gourami (ปลาสลิดเค็ม). If salted fish is used, it would make sense to use young tamarind leaves rather than the tamarind paste.
- Bamboo shoots – use fresh, pickled, or a combination of both.
- Use half-thick coconut cream, or coconut cream diluted with water in equal quantities.
- To prepare the sun-dried salted beef: Use one kg of thinly sliced beef – any cut will do. Mix with 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, and the same amount of granulated sugar. Knead the beef with the sugar and salt for couple of minutes until all is incorporated. Let it rest for about 30 minutes before laying the beef slices on a mesh screen or dehydrator mesh, and place in direct sunlight for total of four hours (two hours on each side). This will result in a semi-dried beef that is suitable for immediate use – and perfect for this recipe. Of course, a longer drying period is required for longer storage periods.
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Ingredients
- 250 g sun-dried salted beef (เนื้อแดดเดียว)
- 2 cups coconut cream (หัวกะทิ)
- 3 cups coconut milk (หางกะทิ)
- 2 cups bamboo shoots (หน่อไม้) cut into thin juliennes
- 1/2 cup galangal (ข่า) cut into thin juliennes
- 1 cup lemongrass (ตะไคร้) sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup fresh red long chili (phrik chee fa) (พริกชี้ฟ้าแดง) cut into thin juliennes
- 1/4 cup fresh red long chili (phrik chee fa) (พริกชี้ฟ้าแดง) cut into thin juliennes
- 1/2 cup shallots (หอมแดง) peeled and sliced
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (เกลือทะเล)
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar (น้ำตาลมะพร้าว)
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste (น้ำมะขามเปียก)
- 1 tablespoon kaffir lime leaves (ใบมะกรูด) cut into thin hair-thin juliennes
- charcoal for grilling
Instructions
- Wash the sun-dried beef and pat it dry with paper towels. Charcoal-grill the beef over low heat until it is nicely caramelized.
- Slice the beef into bite-size pieces.
- Prepare three bowls with salt water.
- Julienne the fresh bamboo shoots; set aside, covered in salt water.
- Thinly slice the lemongrass; set aside, covered in salt water.
- Julienne the galangal; set aside, covered in salt water.
- Julienne the fresh green and red long chilies; set aside.
- Place a pot with half-thick coconut cream over medium-low heat, and add the beef.
- Bring to a boil, and simmer over low heat until the meat starts to soften. Add liquids if necessary.
- Add the bamboo shoots.
- Cook until the bamboo shoots are cooked, but still hold their crunchiness.
- Add the galangal and lemongrass.
- Add the fresh chilies.
- Keep simmering.
- Add the shallots.
- Keep simmering until the shallots soften; at this stage the meat should be soft enough, but still somewhat chewy.
- Add coconut cream to improve the texture of the broth.
- Season with salt.
- Season with palm sugar.
- Season with tamarind paste.
- Garnish with hair-thin julienned kaffir lime and serve.
Beef Phanaeng Curry and Ancient Grilled Phanaeng Chicken Curry (พะแนงเนื้อ และ ไก่ผะแนง จากตำราอาหารที่เก่าสุดในสยาม)
Breaking news: The oldest Thai cookbook, as well as history’s first-ever recorded recipe for Phanaeng curry, are revealed for the first time on Thaifoodmaster.com – A 126-year-old cookbook written by one of Siam’s most revered singers, Maawm Sohm Jeen (Raa Chaa Noopraphan) (หม่อมซ่มจีน, ราชานุประพันธุ์), has been rediscovered, offering a unique glimpse into the culinary repertoire of 19th-century Siam. In this chapter we examine the different forms of phanaeng curry from the 1800s to the present day, as we reconstruct the 19th-century version and craft step-by-step a traditional beef phanaeng curry.
Fermented Rice Noodles Served with Pineapple, Fish Balls in Coconut Milk, Grilled Curried Fish Cakes, Young Ginger and Dry Shrimp Powder
(ขนมจีนซาวน้ำ ; khanohm jeen saao naam )
For the khanohm jeen saao naam version that we present today, we turn again to the writing of Thanpuying (Lady) Gleep Mahithaawn for her unique take on the dish. Her version is quite similar to the common recipe encountered nowadays, but Lady Gleep enhances it with more ingredients, elevating the dish yet another notch to the level of a majestic masterpiece.
Thai Salad of Chicken and Seven Vegetables Blanched in Coconut Milk and Served With Sour-Salty and Sweet Coconut Curry Dressing, Crispy Fried Shallots and Roasted Sesame Seeds
(yam thawaai ; ยำทวาย)
This recipe would probably change your perception about the term “salad”, maybe because its dressing has a multi layered, curry-like personality, rather than the common sour vinaigrette-like dressing, or maybe because it takes some good few hours to prepare, somewhat longer than simply opening a bag of hydroponic greens.
This salad is the fruit of the dedication of court ladies from aristocratic households, that for centuries perfected and elaborated on the art of cooking through detailed and calculated process, to create sophisticated dishes that are not only delicious but also very healthy and visually pleasing.
These ladies made a very large commitment for small things, and they attended all their time and efforts to make minor things better and getting the small things just right.
Spicy Salad of Grilled Tiger Prawns, Mackerel, Lemongrass and Aromatics with Infused Fermented Fish Innards Dressing (ไตปลาทรงเครื่อง ; dtai bpla sohng khreuuang)
If we could strip away the spices, the seasonings, the vegetables and the herbs from savory dishes we could uncover their naked flavor profile core. There, we would encounter a strong savory-umami, sometimes coupled with other basic elements of smoke and fat. This flavor core is, for us humans, the sought-after taste of protein; our first sip of mother’s milk, and the primal experience of burned game meat on the fire.
Today we would like to highlight a powerhouse for umami creation: the fermentation process. We will focus on fermented fish innards from southern Thailand (dtai bpla ไตปลา), one of about a dozen fermented products used in the country. We will show you how chefs for the capital’s elite, as early as or, before the reign of King Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai (Rama II, 1767-1824), harnessed its wild nature and created a dish similar to what we present today – a salad with infused fermented fish innards dressing.
Lod Chong Recipe
Pandan Flavored Rice Flour Droplets in Sweetened Coconut Cream Syrup
(khanohm laawt chaawng naam gathi)
สูตรทำขนมลอดช่องน้ำกะทิ หรือ นกปล่อย
Thai desserts are usually made from common ingredients and therefore very popular. However, it was only during the 17th century that desserts and sweets actually became part of everyday meals. In the old days, they were served only at auspicious occasions and ceremonies.
During wedding ceremonies, for example, four kinds of sweets are usually served, collectively known as “the four plates dessert” (ขนมสี่ถ้วย ; khanohm see thuay). The ancient Thai expression “To eat four cups of dessert” (กินสี่ถ้วย ; gin see thuay ) used in the central region of the kingdom as an idiom referring to a wedding banquet.
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