the other day i made a tasty tofu & chicken satay marinade ... i followed a recipe of course! i was never into the following recipe books bit, but have adopted that practice this year with regard to thai cooking, and have not regretted it; indeed i have certainly learnt a few things as a result of doing so.
the satay marinade involved coriander root, garlic, asian shallots &ginger - all pound to a apste in a mortar & pestle.
this paste was then added to cumin, turmeric, ground corainder, curry powder, soy sauce, coconut milk, vegetable oil, palm sugar, & salt. all that mixed up of course, then chicken marinated for several hours.
it turned out well, although i can't claim much credit really - just follwed the instructions. the tofu was tasty, as was the chicken of course ...
there was also a peanut sauce i could have made to add to the finished prodcut, but i didn't get around to that ... next time!

more generally, after neing a soy sauce addict of sorts for a number of years, i am developing more of a taste for fish sauce - although it isn't in this dish, it is probably (as far as i can tell) the most prevalent sauce used in thai cooking. smells kinda gross out of the bottle - although not as potent as shrimp paste - but it goes well in the pan in my humble opinion.

more of fergal's adventures in thai cuisine - 'ahaan thai' - to follow at another time ...

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