Welcome to my week in the kitchen…Not so much cooking this week as my big boy paid a visit so we went sightseeing and ate out …It was the first time in person for 3 years so a few tears from mum and we are not going to leave it as long next time so May we will meet in Bangkok when he visits his office in Kl, Malaysia which means a shorter journey for him as Malaysia is only a short flight to Bangkok and only an hour from here for us…
The saga of the sourdough...Continues…It will not beat me!… It has got to the stage or it did I have now started AGAIN…It rose to the top in the water… All the books and advice tell me it is now ready for the next stage…You were kidding me…RIGHT!

It did not rise or prove or whatever phrase you successful bakers of sourdough utter…Mine did not! Boo Hoo…
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This Weeks Curry…Spicy Pork with Stinky Beans Curry. (Mu Baan Phat Prik Sa Tor)
Spicy Pork curry with Stink Beans is a popular dish here in the North of Thailand and true Issan curry.
The stink bean…Sa Tor

Sa Tor… Stink Bean
Grows on trees some 30 metres high the beans grow in clusters.
Popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Burma and NE India they are known as Bitter Bean, Petai, Kampa, Mizo, Pakra and Sa Tor here in Thailand which translates as stinky bean. When you eat this bean it has the same effect on your urine and your farts as asparagus and I have also been told that if you are familiar with the smell of Sugar Puffs that it smells like Sugar Puffs …Totally off subject but that was what my son told me when I informed him they had the same effect as asparagus…When the beans are young they can be eaten raw, fried or pickled. The beans are either pickled or frozen when being exported.
Similar in looks to the Broad bean the seeds turn black when dried and may need to be peeled before cooking.
Healthwise this bean is packed with…Iron(42.50%) Vitamin C (36.33%) Protein 20.00%)
Vitamin B2 (15.38%) Carbohydrate (13.00% another of natures powerhouses.
A cure for hangovers combined with honey and milk, this particular milkshakes made is considered to help to ease a hangover because it can easily enhance blood glucose levels whilst the milk is wonderful for calming as well as re-fix the fluid level within the body.
Ingredients:
- 400 gm of pork thinly sliced I use hip or pork loin you can also use chicken if prefered.
- 1 cup of stink beans
- Fish Sauce to taste
- 1 tbsp of coconut cream
- Pinch sugar
- 4/6 kaffir lime leaves finely shredded
- Sm amount of red curry paste.
Let’s Cook!
Heat a small amount of oil in a wok or frying pan and add your curry paste.(see note below) Aff fine;y slice lime leaves and stir-fry for a minute until flavours are released.
Add the pork and stir-fry until cooked..4-5 minutes. Add the stink beans, Fish Sauce, Coconut cream and a pinch of sugar.
Serve with Steamed Rice.
N.B: IF USING A REGULAR RED CURRY PASTE I WOULD USE APPROX DESSERT SP TO START THE CURRY PASTE WE BUY IS VERY HOT AND YOU ONLY NEED 1/2 TSP IT IS FIERY. BUT I ALWAYS SAY WHEN USING A CURRY PASTE THAT YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THEN ADD A SMALL AMOUNT, TASTE AND ADD MORE IF REQUIRED.
We like our curries quite spicy and know our pastes so add accordingly but still taste as chillies vary but I have learnt that if buying fresh paste to ask to taste and you soon know if it packs a punch or not….lol
If you can’t get fresh stink beans then you can use frozen beans…When the beans are fresh they don’t have a strong smell but the smell is stronger when the beans are older or frozen.
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At the market this week…A fruit I have seen before but not tasted… Mayong Chit or Marian Plum…and Mangosteen have come into season…

Sweet Yellow Marian Plum” is a tropical fruit that looks like an egg and has a smooth skin. When it is unripe, it is green. When it is ripe, it turns yellowish. It tastes juicy, sweet and a little bit sour and contains beta-carotene, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin B and C.
Immature fruits are not only eaten with a mixture of salt, sugar and pepper but also used in the cooking of some dishes, they are pickled, boiled and stewed and even added to curries. In Indonesian cuisine, unripe maprang fruits are crushed as a whole, together with a bone (stone) – which becomes one of the main ingredients of spicy sambal sauce.
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The Mangosteen I featured in last weeks post…
This recipe is for an easy to make Clafoutis which can be made with any fruits…It is batter-like dessert with fruit quite nice as not too sweet…
Thai-style Mangosteen Clafoutis recipe:
- 5 fresh Mangosteen opened and segmented( leave seeds in)
- 1/2 cup sugar plus 1 tbsp.
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup rice flour ( all-purpose flour) can be used.
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup of coconut milk.
- Pinch salt
- 1 tsp grated lime/lemon zest.
- 1 tsp of vanilla and coconut essences.
- Icing sugar to finish when serving.
Let’s Cook!
Pre-heat oven to 350F.generously grease a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish or you can use individual ramekins.
Prepare Mangosteen by removing from the outer shell and dividing into segments(leave the stone in)
Toss the fruit with 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tbsp of sugar. Arrange the fruit in the bottom of the dish/dishes.
In a large bowl or food processor whisk eggs with salt and sugar. Then whisk in flour. Add coconut milk, lime zest, vanilla and coconut essences and whisk to blend together.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish/dishes, the fruit may float but that ok.
Place dish in the oven, if using ramekins they need to be placed in a tin/dish containing water which goes 1/3 way up the Ramekins.
Bake for 55-60 minutes until the middles are set and the top is lightly browned.
Serve warm with a light dusting of icing sugar with ice cream or whipped cream.
Warning: Advise guests to be aware that there are stones in the fruit.
Enjoy!
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Yesterday…Thursday we had a quick visit from our Thai in-laws as they passed through…They always bring goodies and yesterday it was limes, kaffir limes and leaves and quite a few bananas so guess who made banana pancakes last night and will be making banana koftas this weekend…Out Potassium levels are very good as bananas contain lots of that…
The other gift as our grandson will be 14 years old tomorrow was for Aston’s birthday…Thais are known for their love of food and everyone knows through bitter experience that you do not interrupt meal times and if you give a gift of food it is always very well received… Unless you are a 14-year-old boy who is westernised.

Aston’s birthday gift was a turkey… The look on his face was priceless!
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I have also been making some dishes which( I haven’t featured) on here as they have been made with ingredients containing particular vitamins. …These dishes are for a new series over @ Smorgasbord Magazine which if you have a particular Vitamin deficiency in your diet and your medical practitioner advises that you increase your intake of certain foods which sometimes leaves us to thinking what can we make with that or what foods contain those vitamins we need,.
Sally and I have taken the pain out of that and are delivering the whole package… info on each Vitamin with corresponding recipes. A series which we hope will help with knowing what to cook …It is also to show that it is normal everyday ingredients.
The first one was out…20th February and was Vitamin A…

For the recipe for Fritatta click the link below…
https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/02/20/new-series-smorgasbord-health-column-with-sally-cronin-and-carol-taylor-cook-from-scratch-to-prevent-nutritional-deficiency/
Vitamin B1 is out Wednesday 6th March…
I am very excited about this project as I sometimes have been a bit stumped if I think I need to increase a vitamin in my diet.
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That is all from me this week in my kitchen…Tomorrow is my market shopping day I wonder what new fruits or vegetables I can find…I always look forward to Saturdays xx
Thank you for reading I hope you are enjoying my week in the kitchen…
About Carol Taylor:
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.
The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS
Connect to Carol
Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/
Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all having a great weekend xx
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