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Hi Dcarl1, there isn't any fish sauce in the curry paste recipes - only shrimp paste or anchovies as a substitute. I'm not sure where you're seeing fish sauce listed as an ingredient in the paste recipe.

Fresh turmeric root is terribly difficult to track down; otherwise I would certainly use it! Also, my palate isn't as sensitive to the "mustiness" that you describe.

LiveFreeOrDine: I'm so glad that you tried the pastes! I pick up kaffir lime and kaffir lime leaves from a Thai/Vietnamese shop In Chinatown, Manhattan. Sadly, I've not found them in Chinese grocery stores. Kaffir lime rind can also be found dried, in which case you would soak them in water before use. If you really get into Thai curry pastes, it may not be a bad idea to get a pack of the dried rind from a specialty source online.

The peppers will keep in your fridge for a week or so without any noticeable change in quality. I've been using them when one of my Mexican recipes calls for a jalapeno pepper, and with great success! Also, if you happen to run low on the dried red peppers, you can substitute the bird's eye chilies in a pinch. They'd also be great in gumbo - I tossed in a couple during preliminary trials of my gumbo.

Hi nasty bits lovers,

As always, thank you for the heartwarming comments! I would love nothing more than to write an entire book about offal. My hope is that if I keep writing and doing what I’m doing, the shape of the book will become clearer. In the meantime, it’s very encouraging to see that more than five people would buy it.

Sorry for the backlog of questions; I am up to my ears in ears!

Pfooti: I served my turkey necks as-is, and watched as my guests happily gnawed the meat and tendon off the bone. That being said, you could take the meat off as well – turkey necks are large enough such that most of the flesh could be de-boned. To do so, prior to adding them to the gumbo, leave the turkeys necks whole instead of chopping them into 2 or 3-inch sections.

NWcajun: I understand that depending on what cook you ask, andouille is either the traditionally smoked pork sausage with its distinctive seasonings, or it can be any type of sausage that is “Cajun/andouille” in spirit. That is to say, the links have the cayenne, thyme, mace, cloves, allspice, and majoram that make andouille taste like andouille. Clearly, you fall into the former camp. Having made gumbo with all sorts of additions (crab, shrimp, fried chicken, pork neck, etc), I’m not as devoted to the type of protein so much as the base of roux. (Feel free to reprimand me, but I’m pretty stubborn myself about what makes gumbo a gumbo!)

cellophane: I have NEVER tried smoked turkey tails. Wow. I’m sold. See? So many new parts to try! I can’t remember the last time I had a steak.

With regards to the issue of roux, I’m glad to see a healthy debate about proper procedure – certainly the kind of discussion one would expect from such a legendary, timeless stew. If I make another batch of turkey gumbo from leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, I will give the other methods a try and report back.

Hi guys:

To clarify: The coconut cream specified in these recipes is simply the thick cream that collects at the surface of an undisturbed can of coconut milk. Just skim it off the surface - no extra shopping required! I talked about it in the first post but I should've been clearer here. Thanks!

"Truly good tofu, however, is made fresh that day, still warm, silky on the spoon, and something else entirely than what you have in your head."

I'm not sure about that, gluten free girl! Packaged tofu is what everyone has access to, and it's delicious when cooked properly. And not all delicious tofu is silky - some of it is firm, some fried, some stinky b/c it's been fermented....all wonderful-tasting! And not all tofu is warm - some of it is ice cold and served in a pudding. Geez - feel like I need a Venn diagram :)

Great post, though. I love experimenting w/ grains b/c it's an easy way to experience different textures.

squidopus: The cayenne wasn't a substitute for curry powder; it was an addition to make the sauce more orange for Halloween :) I do add fish sauce to a lot of Thai curries, but that essence of lobster was so incredibly strong, I just didn't see the need.

plazmaorb: Not all Thai curry pastes employ fish sauce. I certainly use it sometimes later on in a recipe, but a literature review suggests that most yellow curry pastes, in fact, do not have fish sauce.

NWcajun, you're extremely welcome. I am jealous of your being in Oregon. Forget ribeye! You could put geoduck and dungeness into your soondubu! I have always wanted to catch dungeness and dig for my own geoduck.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/07/the-nasty-bits-tongue-lengua-en-salsa-verde.html

BananaMonkey, I did a recipe on beef tongue way back when. On beef tongue, the outer layer is really thick and comes right off after it's been stewed.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has some really great advice and recipes for beef tongue in his River Cottage Meatbook. He recommends pickling the tongue for a few days before proceeding with the recipe.

And yes, your suspicions are correct! Tongue is really intense - a lot beefier and porkier, when compared to the flesh. It's a fatty organ w/ plenty of flavor.

Jennalynn: That's right - add the soondubu paste.

harmonica: Do you have a heat diffuser? It's a plate you can use to temper the heat of the electric stove. Mine looks something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I1WO8C/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0000X6ESO&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0PQNMQZ36TV1FWJYPK5Y

I have a gas stove, but clay pot experts recommend using a heat diffuser on top of an electric stove when cooking with clay pots.

Hi guys, thanks for all the tofu love!

Piccola: I make vegetarian versions of soondobu ALL the time to recover from my other meat-laden meals. I still use meat stock, but you could easily replace with vegetable stock, or even water.

BananaM: I can understand your hesitation to work with the raw stomach. Really, though, give it a try:

1. Bring that pot of water to boil.
2. Plop the whole stomach into the water (You don't even have to rinse the stomach first)
3. After 2-3 minutes, retrieve the stomach and pour the sullied water down the drain.

Essentially, there's not too much handling of the stomach prior to stewing it. After you've parboiled it, the stomach is not as wrinkly either. I think the smells can be off-putting, but I guarantee that if you do it once, you'll get the hang of it.

That's probably not the answer you were looking for, but I believe you can do it!

avisualperson: MSG levels were ok - not too bad, but then again, we didn't order a lot of savory dishes that came with soups and stocks, so I can't comment on their general use of MSG.

Good question by gustoct: This was actually my first dim sum meal in Flushing in 6 years, so I'd welcome more recommendations!