While trolling for recipes, I came across a particularly intriguing one for a condiment called palapa. It is apparently common in the Phillipines, and I’d love to try it, but I’ve got two problems with the ingredients.
1 fresh coconut
16 red Thai chiles
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
¼ cup vegetable oil
1½ heads of garlic, separated into cloves, peeled, finely chopped
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed, chopped
6 makrut lime leaves, thinly sliced, or 1½ teaspoons finely grated lime zest
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal or 2 teaspoons Morton kosher salt
Problem #1) Fresh coconut? I barely have the strength to open a car door, and they expect me to go whacking and chopping like some kind of deranged kitchen ninja. Doesn’t anyone anywhere sell fresh shredded coconut meat? Or if not fresh, frozen? The reason the recipe calls for fresh grated coconut is because you’re supposed to slowly toast it for 15 to 20 minutes in a dry wok or cast iron skillet. Dried coconut would conceivably turn to ash in about two minutes.
Problem #2) Sixteen Thai chiles??? I put a half a Serrano, seeded, de-ribbed, and finely minced into about four cups of salad, and thought “Aren’t Serrano chiles supposed to be on the mild side?” My tolerance for spicy has really diminished over the past few years! No way my tongue or soft palate could withstand the heat of sixteen Thai chiles. So is there a chili with less heat (a lot less heat) than a Thai, but still full of flavor? I’ll add maybe one Thai chili to it for authenticity’s sake. (Dear Lord Moses, I’m turning into my father! If you looked at a plate while saying the word “Tabasco,” he would declare the dish too “sharp.”)
What say you, DCers?
1 fresh coconut
16 red Thai chiles
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
¼ cup vegetable oil
1½ heads of garlic, separated into cloves, peeled, finely chopped
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed, chopped
6 makrut lime leaves, thinly sliced, or 1½ teaspoons finely grated lime zest
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal or 2 teaspoons Morton kosher salt
Problem #1) Fresh coconut? I barely have the strength to open a car door, and they expect me to go whacking and chopping like some kind of deranged kitchen ninja. Doesn’t anyone anywhere sell fresh shredded coconut meat? Or if not fresh, frozen? The reason the recipe calls for fresh grated coconut is because you’re supposed to slowly toast it for 15 to 20 minutes in a dry wok or cast iron skillet. Dried coconut would conceivably turn to ash in about two minutes.
Problem #2) Sixteen Thai chiles??? I put a half a Serrano, seeded, de-ribbed, and finely minced into about four cups of salad, and thought “Aren’t Serrano chiles supposed to be on the mild side?” My tolerance for spicy has really diminished over the past few years! No way my tongue or soft palate could withstand the heat of sixteen Thai chiles. So is there a chili with less heat (a lot less heat) than a Thai, but still full of flavor? I’ll add maybe one Thai chili to it for authenticity’s sake. (Dear Lord Moses, I’m turning into my father! If you looked at a plate while saying the word “Tabasco,” he would declare the dish too “sharp.”)
What say you, DCers?
