Shopping, shopping, shopping to turn up an ex-pat kitchen

[robert6996]

29 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

Actually, many of these items are now sitting in my son's basement. The problem with having them shipped here is that because many of them are cast iron, the shipping costs would be quite expensive due to the weight. The stainless steel items may have been a good idea, but that ship has sailed as I gave them to my ex-wife. Talk about desperation.

Have you looked at the cost of shipping by sea, I know it takes 5-8 weeks to ship to the Philippines door to door from the States. At a cost of around $85usd to Manila in a Balikbayan box, the boxes are big and one box would easily hold all you cask iron items among other items.

I don't know if the same companies ship to Thailand that ship to the PI.

either way best of luck

 

[ChiFlyer]

20 hours ago, robert6996 said:

Have you looked at the cost of shipping by sea, I know it takes 5-8 weeks to ship to the Philippines door to door from the States. At a cost of around $85usd to Manila in a Balikbayan box, the boxes are big and one box would easily hold all you cask iron items among other items.

.....

 

Good idea, but I had checked this out already. The ex is Filipina, so I am familiar with the PI shipping costs and it is indeed a very good deal.

I spoke with them and looked around the net and could not find a corresponding deal for Thailand. Also, especially these days, Thai Customs can be a real pain to deal with.

[cytolliver]

I have seen them $5 cheaper and the 12 inch which are massive can go as low as $20(600 baht) but OOS now.

[ChiFlyer]

58 minutes ago, cytolliver said:

I have seen them $5 cheaper and the 12 inch which are massive can go as low as $20(600 baht) but OOS now.

 

I do not think you are going to see those prices inside of Thailand.

[ChiFlyer]

1 hour ago, ChiFlyer said:

Good idea, but I had checked this out already. The ex is Filipina, so I am familiar with the PI shipping costs and it is indeed a very good deal.

.....

For an American who is looking to ship up to 70 lb boxes to Thailand, from what I am reading USPS International Shipping can be a good way to go. This is certainly not at the PI shipping rates.

I would not try this at this time due to the complexities the pandemic introduces.

[forcebwithu]

9 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

For an American who is looking to ship up to 70 lb boxes to Thailand, from what I am reading USPS International Shipping can be a good way to go. This is certainly not at the PI shipping rates.

I would not try this at this time due to the complexities the pandemic introduces.

Depending on how long you care to wait, perhaps when international travel restrictions lift you could post a request to BM's traveling back to Thailand to serve as mule for you. As I fly BC I usually have plenty of unused checked baggage allowance and would be happy to bring a few things back with me. But sadly my annual visit back to the States won't happen until late this year, or more likely sometime next year.

[ChiFlyer]

14 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Depending on how long you care to wait, perhaps when international travel restrictions lift you could post a request to BM's traveling back to Thailand to serve as mule for you. As I fly BC I usually have plenty of unused checked baggage allowance and would be happy to bring a few things back with me. But sadly my annual visit back to the States won't happen until late this year, or more likely sometime next year.

Thank you. I will certainly keep the offer in mind. 

I am thinking that the earliest I am willing to make my first ever annual trip to the states will be Summer of 2021. I am most concerned about my ability to re-enter Thailand. IMO Americans are not going to make the preferred travel list for quite some time.

[ChiFlyer]

Did a little cooking tonight. The GF gave me a level 2 on the results, level 1 being a great job, level 3 being ok. I am giving myself an ok+ on this one. Me and my new stove are still working on becoming one.

I made Singapore Noodles, which as the link points out probably did not originate from Singapore. This is another Asian stir fry dish. The name of the game with Asian stir fries is to have all your ingredients prepared and in small bowls ready to go into the pan. You will be cooking at a very high heat and things happen really quickly once you start the actual cooking. There will not be time to slice an onion once the cooking is underway.

I did make some substitutions. Used a Dry Sherry instead of the Chinese Rice Wine once again. I will likely pick up a bottle of the real stuff and switch over before too much longer. I used the recommended substitution of Ham slices for the Chinese Roast Pork, as I would not know Chinese Roast Pork if it bit my nose. We had a bag of thin rice noodles on hand so I used those instead of the recommended brand. 

Most ingredients were purchased at Markos.

Recipe link and pic follow. Notice the new Victorinix Chef's knife in the pic. Love it.

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/05/singapore-curry-noodles-stir-fry-recipe.html

[ChiFlyer]

I thought I did pretty well tonight. I made my first Thailand attempt at one of my US stand by recipes -> "Pork Chops, Pancetta, and Apples".

The pancetta guy is currently sold out, so I was going to run over to Central Festival to pick some up. I got a bunch of stuff going on back in the US right now (House sale, car sale, a few legal matters to clean up (no none of them are criminal prosecutions)). Anyway I was on the phone the night before until about 4 AM.

I spaced and forgot to make the pancetta run. Time to make dinner. Fortunately, I had some smoked bacon in the fridge, so I cooked that and hit it with some basil, oregano, and black pepper. It worked out ok, but this recipe is much better with actual pancetta. Still the end result was pretty good and the GF gave it a category 1 rating.

Here is a pic.

Here is a link for the recipe.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pork-chops-with-apples-and-pancetta-recipe-2107440

Most ingredients were purchased at Villa Market.

 

[ChiFlyer]

On 25/06/2020 at 06:13, expatdude said:

No Italian Sausage. It's just a guy doing it from his house. Get half a kilo to see if you like it, only 600 a kilo. He'll pack it up for you as you sit on his porch with flies bothering you.

I'm still on the hunt for good Italian sausage. Only thing I've found is Johnsonville at Villa occasionally, but that's too expensive. I'm intending to figure out how to make it myself, but it's tricky.

@expatdude I found this recipe for sweet Italian Sausage on the net. Does not sound too tough and a fair number of people seem to say that it is a winner. This yields a large patty rather than a sausage, but I could live with that.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/216319/homemade-sweet-italian-sausage-mild-or-hot/

I will give this a go before all that much longer and report back.

[ChiFlyer]

On 29/06/2020 at 00:35, ChiFlyer said:

Since I posted about this, I thought I would give an update.

This is not going well. It got off to a flying start and I was notified On June 1st that it had arrived in Thailand and I would be receiving it shortly. It ain't here yet.

I spent about an hour in a chat session with an iHerb guy tonight. It seems that they use DHL to ship it to Thailand (great), but they have DHL ship it to the local Thai Post Office to complete the delivery (bad). I got the PO tracking number and I will ask the GF to assist me with calling the PO tomorrow.

The iHerb chat guy seemed like a decent sort and assured me that he would pass on to management that an on the ground guy considers this method to be fucked.

I want my damn California Oilve Ranch EVOO.

update # 2. I was sitting there looking at the DHL tracking report saying that the item had arrived in Thailand June 1st and it was now July and it sure was not at my place. I had made several contacts with iHerb support and nothing but bullshit. So I entered a credit card dispute with Capital One. 4 days later, July 8th, it is delivered.

Some mixed feelings here. I am happy to have my California Olive Ranch EVOO, but I am unwilling to go down this path with iHerb again. Need to find a new source.

[davidge]

If you don’t mind me saying, I think you need to be less of a fussbucket and do the best you can with whatever is available within Thailand. Insisting on ingredients from a specific source or of a particular brand just doesn’t marry with being an expat. You’ll spend a fortune, get frustrated, increase your blood pressure and end up at square one most of the time.

[expatdude]

5 hours ago, davidge said:

If you don’t mind me saying, I think you need to be less of a fussbucket and do the best you can with whatever is available within Thailand. Insisting on ingredients from a specific source or of a particular brand just doesn’t marry with being an expat. You’ll spend a fortune, get frustrated, increase your blood pressure and end up at square one most of the time.

Eek, a bit harsh. I would say exactly the same thing but phrase it differently: Why don't you use the opportunity of being in a great new place to explore all the myriad and wonderful advantages of that place?

[bluechef]

A few points Cornflour and  cornstarch are the same thing, Chilli flakes are avaliable everywhere, Villa tends to stock imported goods for expats. For chilli flakes try the Thai market opposite wat chai. Also has wonderful fresh veg and a lot cheaper than supermarkets.

[ChiFlyer]

6 hours ago, davidge said:

If you don’t mind me saying, I think you need to be less of a fussbucket and do the best you can with whatever is available within Thailand. Insisting on ingredients from a specific source or of a particular brand just doesn’t marry with being an expat. You’ll spend a fortune, get frustrated, increase your blood pressure and end up at square one most of the time.

Actually, I think I am doing that. Twice a week, I cook dinner for myself and the GF. That may be Farang, Latin, or Asian. I do almost zero Thai dishes as that is her turf.

So my, agreed somewhat extravagant approach, is more centered on a couple of times a week hobby, as opposed to full time pursuit. At this level I enjoy it, so why not.

[ChiFlyer]

On 11/07/2020 at 00:55, ChiFlyer said:

......

Some mixed feelings here. I am happy to have my California Olive Ranch EVOO, but I am unwilling to go down this path with iHerb again. Need to find a new source.

Found another source for my beloved California Olive Ranch EVOO. Do not get me wrong. I think ordering stuff from back home and having it shipped here to Thailand in general is a terrible idea, but I really like this particular product.

Anyway, here is a link for the new source. I ordered one bottle to see if that would go any better than the iHerb experience. And yes I realize that I am paying more than double what I would in the US, but I will only use two or three bottles a year.

https://www.luckyvitamin.com/m-27998-california-olive-ranch

 

[ChiFlyer]

I was on fire in the kitchen tonight and I do mean almost literally. I have made Steak au Poirve many times back in the US, but this was my first attempt here in Thailand. I thought I did a great job. The GF gave me a category 2.

This is obviously an expensive dish to prepare in that it uses Beef Tenderloin and foolishly sets good Cognac on fire, but I felt that I really nailed it, except for a bit too much salt in the sauce. Estimated cost per plate is 2000 THB. This is a home splurge item that I make a couple of times a year.

The beef tenderloin fillets from Villa Market were very good looking. Here they are in the pan.

 

Steak au Poirve requires that you flambe the pan with Cognac after the steaks are cooked. Getting the pan to a safe area before you ignite it is a good idea.

 

On the plate.

The baked potatoes, my first attempt at using the new oven, turned out great. I used the following recipe and topped them with butter, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, sour cream, and sliced up bacon bits. Not too good on the calorie counting on this one.

ATK Baked Potatoes.pdf

Here is the Steak au Poirve recipe from the one and only Alton Brown.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steak-au-poivre-recipe-1916730

 

 

[forcebwithu]

^^^ That looks delicious. Shame we don't have a like button for mouth watering. 

[ChiFlyer]

Shrimp Scampi tonight.

The GF gave me a category 2 rating on this one.

Here is a link for the recipe, which I followed closely.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/shrimp-scampi-with-linguini-recipe-1942429

I thought it turned out pretty well, though the process did point out that the stove top in our new condo needs to be replaced. It takes way too long to torque a pot of pasta water.

Most ingredients were purchased at Markos on Sukhumvit.

A few pics:

In the pot.

 

On the plate.

[Abracadabra]

38 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

Shrimp Scampi tonight.

The GF gave me a category 2 rating on this one.

Here is a link for the recipe, which I followed closely.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/shrimp-scampi-with-linguini-recipe-1942429

I thought it turned out pretty well, though the process did point out that the stove top in our new condo needs to be replaced. It takes way too long to torque a pot of pasta water.

Most ingredients were purchased at Markos on Sukhumvit.

A few pics:

In the pot.

 

On the plate.

I love the way Italian dishes many times look simple but when cooked properly pack great flavors. This plate looks like it's cooked perfectly...

[davidge]

Scampi is something completely different in the U.K. (usually the tail of langoustine aka Dublin Bay prawn) served in breadcrumbs.

 

[cytolliver]

On 05/07/2020 at 11:23, ChiFlyer said:

Did a little cooking tonight. The GF gave me a level 2 on the results, level 1 being a great job, level 3 being ok. I am giving myself an ok+ on this one. Me and my new stove are still working on becoming one.

I made Singapore Noodles, which as the link points out probably did not originate from Singapore. This is another Asian stir fry dish. The name of the game with Asian stir fries is to have all your ingredients prepared and in small bowls ready to go into the pan. You will be cooking at a very high heat and things happen really quickly once you start the actual cooking. There will not be time to slice an onion once the cooking is underway.

I did make some substitutions. Used a Dry Sherry instead of the Chinese Rice Wine once again. I will likely pick up a bottle of the real stuff and switch over before too much longer. I used the recommended substitution of Ham slices for the Chinese Roast Pork, as I would not know Chinese Roast Pork if it bit my nose. We had a bag of thin rice noodles on hand so I used those instead of the recommended brand. 

Most ingredients were purchased at Markos.

Recipe link and pic follow. Notice the new Victorinix Chef's knife in the pic. Love it.

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/05/singapore-curry-noodles-stir-fry-recipe.html

Your substitutions did you in.  You cannot replace rice wine with dry sherry and chinese roasted pork with ham.  Not even remotely close as replacements imho.

[ChiFlyer]

11 minutes ago, cytolliver said:

Your substitutions did you in.  You cannot replace rice wine with dry sherry and chinese roasted pork with ham.  Not even remotely close as replacements imho.

I disagree somewhat on the dry sherry substitution as I did this for years in the states and the results were very good. Still, as some have pointed out, Chinese Rice Wine is readily available at some of the local markets and I hear this is a better way to go.

Actually, IMNSHO the substitution that detracted from the dish (Singapore Noodles) was the lesser quality of rice noodles than what was recommended. Hey - I was there.

[ChiFlyer]

Kung Pao Chicken tonight and rest easy I am done with the home cooking food posting until next weekend.

I got a category 1 rating from the GF on this one. I thought it turned out well myself.

Here is a link for the recipe that was followed closely.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/kung-pao-chicken-3691491

I keep thinking I should be using a more dramatic Kung Pao recipe than one from Ree Drummond (Oklahoma food blogging housewife), but hey it tastes really good. Not one of my favorite sayings, but in this case it works -> "if it ain't broke, no need to fix it". After preparing the dish, I remembered that in the states I would substitute 2 TBSP of Sambal Olek for the 1 TBSP Sriracha, as that gives it a deeper flavor IMO.

Most goods were purchased at Villa Market.

A few pics:

In the pan

On the plate

 

[ChiFlyer]

On 30/06/2020 at 08:26, Cheetos said:

....... purchases for me were the Instant pot pressure cooker, and the Phillips Air Fryer. I purchased the Instant pot at Central Festival, 5th floor, and the Air fryer from Lazada.......

Hi Cheetos - I am looking at the Phillips Air Fryer on Lazada. My lady partner enjoys making me chicken nuggets and french fries from time to time and I do enjoy munching on them. It has occurred to me that getting some of the oil out of our diet is most likely a good thing cholesterol count wise.

What size capacity did you go with for your Phillips Air Fryer? I am thinking that 1.5 L is sufficient.