Hangleh Science [Several Pics]

As mentioned elsewhere, I am presently working on a new curry project, and one which takes me to the North of Thailand this time, specifically the ancient Northern city of Chiang Mai.

For fear of putting you to sleep, I will just briefly note that kaeng hangleh, like its fellow Chiang Mai denizen, khâo sawy, is one of very few classic curries in the Thai culinary repetoire which is believed to have originated elsewhere, and specifically with the Burmese, who had dominion over Northern Thailand several centuries ago. And, kaeng hangleh, again like khâo sawy, is an intensely-flavourful and richly-aromatic curry which relies upon a number of spices that have origin in points much further to the West.

I have taken David Thompson's recipe for kaeng hangleh as a point of departure, and with time I have come to incorporate the opinions, recipes, results, and responses that I have amassed behind nearly 100 hours of effort. With great relief, I am very close to where I want to be, too.

I have included the following photographs to give some idea of my process.*


assorted hangleh spices


dried tumeric


assorted fresh and pickled ingredients


belly pork and pork ribs


hangleh science


hangleh satisfaction

NB Kaeng Hangleh has been a recent topic of discussion, here.

The likelihood of this recipe making it to the roster of a local establishment is virtually nil, as it simply requires too much work. However, the recipe may be available soon.


Regards,
Erik M.

* A significant number of ingredients are not shown.

What do you think about the Hangleh at Sticky Rice? How does it differ from the recipe you are creating, or even David Thompson's? I have really enjoyed the version at Sticky Rice, somewhat because it reminds me of star-anise flavored "stews" that I had as a kid in asia-mostly involving short ribs--and partly because it's just so different from what you normally get at a U.S. Thai restaurant.

I'm jealous of your project. It seems like a great way to spend a few days!

geli wrote:What do you think about the Hangleh at Sticky Rice?

I think that it's great. As I mentioned before, Kritsana uses a commercial spice powder blend in the preparation of her dish. And, it is a brilliant aid as far as I am concerned.

geli wrote:How does it differ from the recipe you are creating, or even David Thompson's?

The above pictures were taken at a relatively early stage in my process, and as such, they are fairly representative of what is involved with the Thompson recipe. I think that Thompson's recipe is very good, but it is not exactly what I am looking for. First of all, the Thompson recipe nets a result which is quite sweet. Too sweet, in my opinion.

I have dropped spices. I have added spices. I have worked on creating a very different consistency, or body to the dish, as well.

I am quite happy with one particular formulation that includes pork belly. But, I am also happy with another formulation that includes pork belly and pork ribs. There is a third formulation that includes pork shoulder only, and it happens to be the favourite of a number of Thai people that I know. At any rate, these three formulations have a slightly different list of ingredients (besides the var. cuts of pork), and the last one, at least, has a different consistency.

Are you feeling sleepy yet?

Thompson's use of pickled garlic and roasted peanuts is very much to my liking. But, a number of my Thai friends are not so crazy about the inclusion of peanuts, so I am making it both ways now. When my garlic comes in this year, I am looking forward to pickling some of my own.

Surely you are sleepy now.

geli wrote:I have really enjoyed the version at Sticky Rice, somewhat because it reminds me of star-anise flavored "stews" that I had as a kid in asia-mostly involving short ribs--and partly because it's just so different from what you normally get at a U.S. Thai restaurant.

The flavour profile of Thompson's recipe is probably not as overtly suggestive of star-anise as the stews of your memory. When made properly, this dish has a very complicated flavour profile.

geli wrote:I'm jealous of your project. It seems like a great way to spend a few days!

Really?

Regards,
Erik M.

Erik,

I noticed that Thompson's book calls for Red Turmeric in its version. have you noticed a lot of taste difference between this and the usual turmeric?

zim wrote:Erik,

I noticed that Thompson's book calls for Red Turmeric in its version. have you noticed a lot of taste difference between this and the usual turmeric?

By "usual," do you mean the commercially powdered form?

If so, I will say that I do not use commercially powdered tumeric anymore; I think that it is junk.

If not, and if instead you mean the whole rhizome, I will say that I have only seen the whole red rhizome in Chicago--not the "white," "sugar," etc.--and it has been awhile since I have seen it fresh in the market. In addition, I will say that I have managed to use up all of the fresh/frozen red rhizome that I had in the freezer.*

With the relatively small amount of tumeric called for in the Thompson recipe--assuming that one is willing to forego the use of purchased powdered tumeric--I do not think that it matters if one uses fresh tumeric, fresh/frozen tumeric, or dried/ground tumeric. It will only be a matter of varying amounts, and at the scale of the Thompson recipe, fuggedaboutit.

At these limited quantities, it is about the colouring. Well, that and the "purity" of using real tumeric in some form. At any rate, it is most assuredly not about matters of taste. I mean, at these quantities, I can hardly believe that anyone could actually note differences in taste.

So, with all of that said, I am content to use dried and hand-ground rhizomes. [These give the very best colour, and trust me, Thais care alot about the colouring that tumeric lends.] I have dried them at home before**, but I have used the commercially dried rhizomes in this process***, and I will continue to do so in the future.

Regards,
Erik M.

* This was rhizome that I purchased fresh, and then froze. I find the commercially frozen rhizomes to be poor; they are frequently mushy and flavourless.

** I used some home-dried rhizome in the preparation of phõng kàrìi sãmràp néua.

*** This is clearly evidenced in the second photo in the above series. And, hey, look at that colour!!

thanks

Though I normally use the "junk" (given the staining properties of turmeric and the frequency with which I use it, I have no desire to grind my own), in this case I was speaking of the roots avaialble at north water and other markets around town. I asked because thompson specifically warns of the "strong medicinal taste" of red turmeric

zim wrote:thanks

Though I normally use the "junk" (given the staining properties of turmeric and the frequency with which I use it, I have no desire to grind my own), in this case I was speaking of the roots avaialble at north water and other markets around town. I asked because thompson specifically warns of the "strong medicinal taste" of red turmeric

Regarding the powder: How hard can it be to throw a couple of dried rhizomes into a coffee grinder?* Commercially powdered tumeric is cut with starch. In my experience, commercially powdered tumeric invariably tastes and smells stale, and that is because--relative to the "fresh" or "freshly-ground" alternative--it is very, very stale. And, again, in my experience, this lends a musty funk to anything that it happens to touch.

There is certainly no point in arguing the issue any further. Like you, I used to use commercially powdered tumeric. But, that was before I learned of and tried the alternatives.

EDIT I have not actually seen the North Water Market tumeric that you reference. The fresh red tumeric that I spoke of can often be found at the markets in the Argyle District. As for Thompson's caveat about the "medicinal smell"** of red tumeric, I can only say this much: While I think that my faculties of taste and smell are rather acute--moreso than many even--Thompson's musings on the subjects of taste and smell often give me the impression that he could smell a mouse fart in New Zealand from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Regards,
Erik M.

* If cost is a concern for the reader, I can say that this is no more than a few pennies worth of product.

** On p. 184 of Thai Food, Thompson speaks of red tumeric's "strong, almost medicinal smell." I see no mention, anywhere, of the "medicinal taste" that you reference.

Erik,

you're right he talks about the medicinial "smell" rather than taste, in fact katzer uses almost the same words in describing both turmeric and white turmeric.

For me, I find what I am calling "regular" turmeric (Which I think in Thai is kha-min rather than khamin leuang - I got this from a possible source for thai herbs can when used with too heavy a hand have a earthy, slightly metallic taste (and yes this refers also to cases when its used ground from whole rhizomes)

this "normal" turmeric is available intermittently at a number of markets on devon

For me, I have to convert a lot of these spice names back to hindi, where red turmeric is most often used for producing a paste to spread on forheads during religious ceremonies (kunkum)