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.
Naaw go:h, a Shan-style seasonal salad, is a dish commonly made by the Shan people during the rainy season, using freshly foraged ingredients. Consisting of shredded, cooked bamboo shoots and herbs with a glossy, earthy-like dressing, the salad reflects the moist soil from which the bamboo sprouts after the rains. The use of whole, elongated Vietnamese coriander leaves and sliced, angular young ginger leaves visually mirrors the structure of the bamboo plant.
The dressing for this salad is prepared by frying a paste in pork lard or cooking oil; the paste includes roasted dried bird’s eye chilis, roasted garlic, powdered soybean cake and salt and, occasionally, roasted shallots or a small piece of fresh turmeric are incorporated. This mixture bestows a harmonious blend of salty-spicy, rich, and nutty undertones upon the salad, complemented by a subtle yeasty essence.
Saen Tung-Style Jungle Curry with Beef and Bamboo Shoots (แกงป่าเนื้อใส่หน่อไม้ แบบแสนตุ้ง; gaaeng bpaa neuua sai naaw mai baaep saaen dtoong)
This is my take on the famous jungle curry from the Saen Tung district in Trat province. In Trat it is usually cooked with game meat and thinly sliced pineapple shoots (แขนงสับปะรด).
Perfumed Braised Beef and Potato Curry with Three Gingers, Thai Basil and Bitter Orange (แกงเนื้อใส่เปราะหอมสดและส้มซ่า; Gaaeng Neuua Sai Bpraw Haawm Soht Lae Sohm Saa)
Discovered in a memorial book for the funeral of SubLt. Soophoht Jeungpraphaa (ร.ต. สุพจน์ จึงประภา) (1925-1966), this beef and potato curry dish unites two distinct curry styles: Massaman curry, known for its sweet and warming complexity of dry spices, punctuated by the vibrancy of bitter orange juice; and gaaeng phet (แกงเผ็ด) spicy curry, dominated by a basil herbal identity. The recipe maintains a sense of traditional elegance despite the startlingly unusual culinary fusion; as these two cooking styles are woven together, their spiced comfort, earthy warmth, citrusy freshness, and cool herbaceous notes meld in a gentle refinement. Drawing upon familiar and novel elements, this curry is both comforting and stimulating.
Massaman curry typically presents as a deep, rich dish. Its unique flavor profile is derived predominantly from a range of dry spices that point to its Persian-inspired roots in Siamese cuisine, along with a curry paste that exudes a sense of freshness. The dried chilis are roasted to deepen their color; the rest of the ingredients, such as the shallots, garlic and dry spices, are roasted too, individually, before being pounded into the paste. Conversely, the gaaeng phet (แกงเผ็ด) curry integrates dry spices more sparingly and is known for flavor qualities that are based on a phrik khing (พริกขิง) paste made of fresh aromatics and a basil herbal identity.
Rice Seasoned with Young Tamarind Relish, Sweetened Fish and Pickled Morning Glory (ข้าวคลุกน้ำพริกมะขามอ่อน ผักบุ้งดอง ปลาแห้งผัดหวาน และ ปลาดุกย่าง; Khaao Khlook Naam Phrik Makhaam Aawn Phakboong Daawng Bplaa Haaeng Phat Waan Lae Bplaa Dook Yaang)
Seasoned rice dishes have been a staple of rice-consuming societies almost since the first grains were cultivated. Adapted according to local resources, traditions and individual preferences, seasoned rice dishes are relished and savored across all walks of life. Within Siamese society, these dishes offer insight into the flavor instincts and eating habits across all demographics, revealing which food items were locally available and valued.
In this delicious seasoned rice recipe from the kitchens of the daughter of King Chulalongkorn, Princess Yaovabha Bongsanid (พระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าเยาวภาพงศ์สนิท) (1884-1934), the Princess uses a variety of common preserved and inexpensive ingredients, clearly drawing inspiration from the cuisine of the Central Plains with nods to the rural and coastal living atmosphere.
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.
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