whats your signature dish

[Deleted User 728]

I love nuts in any kind of dish - it just elevates the whole thing for me, and it's also the reason I love sesame oil : same sort of flavour.

Interesting that you add FISH oil to a meat dish though .. never heard of that before



Just seems wrong somehow .. but I bow to your better judgement

[mapperleywhite]

I love nuts in any kind of dish - it just elevates the whole thing for me, and it's also the reason I love sesame oil : same sort of flavour.

Interesting that you add FISH oil to a meat dish though .. never heard of that before



Just seems wrong somehow .. but I bow to your better judgement

Thai fish sauce is derived from anchovies and imparts saltiness, rather than the flavour of fish. The essence of Thai food, and indeed many Oriental dishes, is to have four flavours in balance - hot/spicy, salt, sweet and sour.

The aroma of cashews toasting will drive you wild - better do some extra to nibble on whilst you're cooking!

I saw in your recipe earlier that you use sesame oil for frying. I've understood this is a no-no.......the technical explanation - all but chemists look away now - is that its smoke point is too low too cook anything decently; by contrast groundnut oil has a high smoke point which lends itself to flash frying in a wok. Sesame oil is best used as a dressing like above.

(Waits to be shot down by cheffy007)

[Sniffer]

Can't beat Nam Pla, MW. The smell can be a bit off-putting to some people but I love it.

[Deleted User 728]

Interesting .. but it's always worked fine for me, mainly because I tend to coat whatever I'm cooking in it first, giving it a good stir before turning the heat on, if that makes sense.

I'll try groundnut though - never used it before.

Peanut oil is gorgeous too, but a bit pricey.

[mapperleywhite]

I'll try groundnut though - never used it before.

Peanut oil is gorgeous too, but a bit pricey.

Peanut oil and groundnut oil are one and the same

[mapperleywhite]

Millionaire’s shortbread

There’s a certain irony in the title of this recipe given our financial standing at the moment…….

To be quite clear up front, you really must make sure the cholesterol and calorie police are not around for this one. But with the festive season coming up why not indulge – we only ever eat a small piece at a time and end up sharing with friends.

Personally I find it’s important to measure carefully the ingredients for desserts, in contrast to throwing things in.

There are three components to this one:

The shortbread

• 175g unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 75g caster sugar
• A few drops of vanilla essence (the original recipe called for seeds of a vanilla pod)
• 225g plain flour

Heat the oven to 180’C. Put the butter in a decent sized bowl and soften it in the microwave, and sieve the flour into it; then add the sugar and vanilla. Mix it up well to form a rough dough and put it into a buttered or non-stick square baking dish. Prick it all over with a fork. Bake for 5 minutes at 180’C and then 35 minutes at 150’C.

The Salted caramel

• 175g light soft brown sugar
• 300ml cream (single works)
• 50g butter in pieces
• ½ tsp sea salt

Heat the sugar in a dry pan over a medium heat. It will gradually turn a darker brown and melt (yes it’s caramelizing) but don’t overdo the heat. Add the butter and stir, then slowly add the cream stirring all the time. Finally stir in the salt.

For the topping

350g dark chocolate (I can recommend a brand called Callebaut from Belgium; found it by chance on e-bay)

Put the chocolate in a jug and melt it in the microwave. You can use it at this stage, but I find it makes the topping a bit hard so a little liquid (milk, rum?) will soften it.

Make sure the shortbread is hard then spread the caramel over it. Put it in the fridge to set for a while before pouring the chocolate over it. Return it to the fridge to harden the chocolate and then it’s ready.

[mapperleywhite]

Can't beat Nam Pla, MW. The smell can be a bit off-putting to some people but I love it.

Like many ingredients used in Thai food Nom Pla has a bit of magic about it. Our Thai friends make us a relish called Prik Nom Pla, which comprises finely chopped garlic, finely chopped green chilli, lemon juice and nom pla. It livens up many a dish, but especially soups. We keep it WELL WRAPPED UP in the fridge

[PockWhite]

Can't wait for Another Northern Souls Pot Noodle recipes

[Sniffer]

Can't beat Nam Pla, MW. The smell can be a bit off-putting to some people but I love it.

Like many ingredients used in Thai food Nom Pla has a bit of magic about it. Our Thai friends make us a relish called Prik Nom Pla, which comprises finely chopped garlic, finely chopped green chilli, lemon juice and nom pla. It livens up many a dish, but especially soups. We keep it WELL WRAPPED UP in the fridge

Ah, yes. I think I know what you mean. It used to be in little bowl, as a condiment, on the table in every half-decent local café and food stall in Thailand last time I was there. Off topic, I know, but I used to love the way westerners are asked "Do you know how to eat Thai food?" if they order anything spicy. I foolishly said something along the lines of "Yes, bring it on" once up in Chiang Mai. I managed to eat about half of it ....

[Davycc]

Millionaire’s shortbread

There’s a certain irony in the title of this recipe given our financial standing at the moment…….

To be quite clear up front, you really must make sure the cholesterol and calorie police are not around for this one. But with the festive season coming up why not indulge – we only ever eat a small piece at a time and end up sharing with friends.

Personally I find it’s important to measure carefully the ingredients for desserts, in contrast to throwing things in.

There are three components to this one:

The shortbread

• 175g unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 75g caster sugar
• A few drops of vanilla essence (the original recipe called for seeds of a vanilla pod)
• 225g plain flour

Heat the oven to 180’C. Put the butter in a decent sized bowl and soften it in the microwave, and sieve the flour into it; then add the sugar and vanilla. Mix it up well to form a rough dough and put it into a buttered or non-stick square baking dish. Prick it all over with a fork. Bake for 5 minutes at 180’C and then 35 minutes at 150’C.

The Salted caramel

• 175g light soft brown sugar
• 300ml cream (single works)
• 50g butter in pieces
• ½ tsp sea salt

Heat the sugar in a dry pan over a medium heat. It will gradually turn a darker brown and melt (yes it’s caramelizing) but don’t overdo the heat. Add the butter and stir, then slowly add the cream stirring all the time. Finally stir in the salt.

For the topping

350g dark chocolate (I can recommend a brand called Callebaut from Belgium; found it by chance on e-bay)

Put the chocolate in a jug and melt it in the microwave. You can use it at this stage, but I find it makes the topping a bit hard so a little liquid (milk, rum?) will soften it.

Make sure the shortbread is hard then spread the caramel over it. Put it in the fridge to set for a while before pouring the chocolate over it. Return it to the fridge to harden the chocolate and then it’s ready.

Nearly identical to mine MW ..soo good