Fish's new tank project

[X-Treme]

Originally Posted by Der_Iron_Chef

Ahhh. Laab Namtok? It's my favourite!

I haven't lived in Thailand, but I've been five times (including during the Tsunami....phew). I lived in Malaysia when I was a teenager, though. I miss it something fierce :-)

Now you two have my interests peaked about this Namtok stuff..... I absolutely ADORE sticky rice.....so WHAT is it?

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Originally Posted by X-Treme

Now you two have my interests peaked about this Namtok stuff..... I absolutely ADORE sticky rice.....so WHAT is it?

If Chad and I are talking about the same dish, it's generally beef or pork marinated and cooked in lime juice, fish sauce, powdered toasted sticky rice, mint, cilantro, green onions, thai chilies and shallots.

If you want an official recipe, I could work one up for you! I generally sort of....just throw a little of this in, a little of that....

[Fish]

Originally Posted by X-Treme

Now you two have my interests peaked about this Namtok stuff..... I absolutely ADORE sticky rice.....so WHAT is it?

Namtok means 'water fall' in Thai which is weird because every other dish is named after exactly what is in it. ??

You take a steak of beef and marinade it for a while in fish sauce, lime juice, and Thai chilis. Then you lightly sear it over a fire, then slice it up into thin strips. Then fry the strips with more fish sauce, lime juice, mint leaves, cilantro, red onions, dried chili flakes, and this powder that you make from toasting uncooked sticky rice until brown then grinding it into powder (adds a nice smokey flavour). I like to eat it with my hands just like they do in the Isan. Roll some sticky rice into a ball and flatten it and little and pinch some of the namtok up with it. Stuff it in your mouth. Dip some sticky rice in the juicy sauce. Repeat.
Dang it X-Treme, now I'm hungry!

- Chad

[X-Treme]

YOU'RE hungry? Don't even talk to me about that now. Iron Chef.....I'd LOVE this recipe. Can ya do it with chicken too?

P.S. - Sorry for the thread jack.

[justinl]

omg... im so hungry. I need this stuff. bad.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by X-Treme

YOU'RE hungry? Don't even talk to me about that now. Iron Chef.....I'd LOVE this recipe. Can ya do it with chicken too?

P.S. - Sorry for the thread jack.

Usually laab is made with the same or similar ingrediants but is ground/chopped more finely. (In the Isan they are a little hardcore and also add chunks of blood to the laab). I have heard of laab done with chicken but never 'chicken namtok' ?? Really no reason why you couldn't though. Usually when ordering food you state the name of the dish and then what meat you want it made with, eg, chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, squid...
They are all interchangable.

I wonder if the missus would be pleased if I woke her up to cook something...
- Chad



*** Photo updates starting on page 21 ***

[justinl]

hey chad I was wondering, if you don't mind my asking, where did you get the "laboratory grade digital metering pump that is going to add topoff water at the exact rate of evaporation" and how much was it? It sounds pretty cool. Any comments on it?

[Fish]

Hey Justin,

For sump dosing, normal topoff pumps will work. The reason I first came across this pump is I was looking for something that would be ultra accurate at dosing even very low quantities (like in a nano) and something that would be able to inject into my pressurized, hidden plumbing, without risk of back-flow.
The pump is a diaphragm style chemical metering pump. This one is an 'A Series' made by Advantage Controls but some other big names are LMI Milton Roy, Pulsatron, and Prominent. They are not made for fishkeeping but are designed for lab work and industrial applications. The pump fires a piston which draws water in then pushes it down the line. The length of the stroke can be changed to adjust how much liquid is added each time and the frequency can be adjusted for how many times per minute (or hour on some models) the pump fires. With this model I am able to dose any amount from 0 - 0.63gph, and it is rated for up to 150psi! That means if I wanted to, I could put this pump in another room in my house or even in my neighbors' house and it wouldn't have a problem getting topoff water to my tank (I wonder if they would let me.... ).
I really don't need this pump for my setup. The only reason I got it is I have used one in the past and am a sucker for a quality piece of equipment. They are super expensive and sell new for like $800-$1000US!!! You can get some awesome deals on them on ebay though.
The first one I had cost $180 off ebay (an engineering firm was clearing some out) and this one I got for only $120US. It never came with any box but the seller claimed it was brand new. Looks like it's in good shape too.
The person who has my original is a member of the board here and was talking about selling it for the same price I paid - $180. They have never used it, but even if they did it would be like it was brand new - they are made to dose things like chlorine and acid... so... ro/di water is easy peasy.

- Chad

[Fish]

I cam home from work today and found that my coral life pump has quit (on the closed loop). The fan works but the pump does not run.
This bothers me a little because the pump has only been running since 03-11-2007. I will contact the vender and see what we can do.

- Chad

[danny zubot]

Hey Chad, that red pump with the pulse dail, what kind is it?