What was Kate’s ratio of Makrut leaves to vodka? And when a recipe calls for one leaf, does it mean the two that are stuck together?
Your deli story reminds me of a burrito experience I recently had. After parking near the beach in Oceanside, I stopped at Señor Grubbys for a bean & cheese burrito. I usually only order them late nights after a show in a drive thru. It cost a little more but not too much. I proceeded to walk right past Valle (our Michelin star restaurant I’ll never afford) and sat in the bandshell amphitheater and ate the BEST bean & cheese burrito of my life (the beans had a smoky grilled flavor, there were whole beans and refried beans...) while watching the lively beach scene. Then I walked up and down the beach with my feet in the water.
Hi Emily, I used 1.5 cups of vodka and four double leaves (I never know if a leaf is one or two either!). I shook it twice a day and plucked the leaves out after 4 days.
Thank you! It’s my dream to own a flourishing Makrut tree. Until then, I buy the leaves and freeze what I can’t use right away. Once I made simple syrup with them (added to sparkling water, gin & tonic, sweetened nuoc cham), but I’m excited about infusing vodka.
I ordered mine for the leaves and the fruit is a bonus. I live in Philly so I can’t keep mine outside year round, but I drag it outside for the summer and it’s worked out pretty well.
What a great idea for the makrut limes! I’ve never known what to do with the fruit! Too bad the vodka infusion only needs one lime! When mine ripen on the tree, there are at least a couple hundred of them! We’re so lucky that so much grows here in CA. BTW, I planted my lemongrass stalk a few days ago. The leaf had already started growing in the jar of water.
From the ocean view from Seabright Deli, I have to conclude the price of that view, which is SPECTACULAR, is factored into those prices as well. All in all, you get what you pay for!
I am going to make the turmeric chicken the moment I can get my hands on decent meat; that is, when our village's largest chicken owner will slaughter some of them again.
It will be will regular turmeric though; I looked into the red variety but shipping some of that would be crazy expensive.
I'll just add a few other ground spices; tandoori powder works well enough with grilled meat, for instance.
You have a dedicated chicken harvester in the village? Jan -- you're living an incredible life of tradition and modernity. Bravo. Fresh chicken will taste excellent!
Regular turmeric will be fine. If perchance there is fresh turmeric available (the world is amazing nowadays), you could use 3 times the ground amount. That would be 1 1/2 Tbsp freshly grated peeled turmeric instead. Sounds like you have a plan going!
There's a farmer here who keeps chickens on a small scale. He keeps enough to make some extra money selling the meat to the villagers but not enough to give him hassle.
I have a soft spot for the guy, since my cat was part of a litter of a feral cat that lives in his yard. The farmer wanted rid of the litter but was kind-hearted enough to inform our post mistress that he had free kittens for those who wanted them. She told me and the cat and I have been cohabitating mostly peacefully for three years-and-a-bit.
(There's definitely no fresh turmeric to be found here.)
Congratulations on six months Andrea! ✨
Thank you so much, Jolene!
What was Kate’s ratio of Makrut leaves to vodka? And when a recipe calls for one leaf, does it mean the two that are stuck together?
Your deli story reminds me of a burrito experience I recently had. After parking near the beach in Oceanside, I stopped at Señor Grubbys for a bean & cheese burrito. I usually only order them late nights after a show in a drive thru. It cost a little more but not too much. I proceeded to walk right past Valle (our Michelin star restaurant I’ll never afford) and sat in the bandshell amphitheater and ate the BEST bean & cheese burrito of my life (the beans had a smoky grilled flavor, there were whole beans and refried beans...) while watching the lively beach scene. Then I walked up and down the beach with my feet in the water.
When a recipe calls for 1 Makrut leaf it means both segments of the one leaf.
Thanks for the burrito tip. Let me ask Kate about her ratio….
Hi Emily, I used 1.5 cups of vodka and four double leaves (I never know if a leaf is one or two either!). I shook it twice a day and plucked the leaves out after 4 days.
Thank you! It’s my dream to own a flourishing Makrut tree. Until then, I buy the leaves and freeze what I can’t use right away. Once I made simple syrup with them (added to sparkling water, gin & tonic, sweetened nuoc cham), but I’m excited about infusing vodka.
I ordered mine for the leaves and the fruit is a bonus. I live in Philly so I can’t keep mine outside year round, but I drag it outside for the summer and it’s worked out pretty well.
Thanks, Kate for the booze and plant tips!
Seabright Deli is so good -- the sandwiches are worth every cent!
What a great idea for the makrut limes! I’ve never known what to do with the fruit! Too bad the vodka infusion only needs one lime! When mine ripen on the tree, there are at least a couple hundred of them! We’re so lucky that so much grows here in CA. BTW, I planted my lemongrass stalk a few days ago. The leaf had already started growing in the jar of water.
This year seem like a big year for them. I have mailed the limes to Thai chef friends. They are nice for shampooing your hair. Seriously.
And your lemongrass baby is thriving!! Yay!
My cat ate my lemongrass 😭
From the ocean view from Seabright Deli, I have to conclude the price of that view, which is SPECTACULAR, is factored into those prices as well. All in all, you get what you pay for!
We can get fresh turmeric root here & it’s pretty easy to grow. They call it Cùrcuma here. I may use this, when I make this recipe.
That’s great! Fresh would be terrific for this chicken.
I am going to make the turmeric chicken the moment I can get my hands on decent meat; that is, when our village's largest chicken owner will slaughter some of them again.
It will be will regular turmeric though; I looked into the red variety but shipping some of that would be crazy expensive.
I'll just add a few other ground spices; tandoori powder works well enough with grilled meat, for instance.
You have a dedicated chicken harvester in the village? Jan -- you're living an incredible life of tradition and modernity. Bravo. Fresh chicken will taste excellent!
Regular turmeric will be fine. If perchance there is fresh turmeric available (the world is amazing nowadays), you could use 3 times the ground amount. That would be 1 1/2 Tbsp freshly grated peeled turmeric instead. Sounds like you have a plan going!
There's a farmer here who keeps chickens on a small scale. He keeps enough to make some extra money selling the meat to the villagers but not enough to give him hassle.
I have a soft spot for the guy, since my cat was part of a litter of a feral cat that lives in his yard. The farmer wanted rid of the litter but was kind-hearted enough to inform our post mistress that he had free kittens for those who wanted them. She told me and the cat and I have been cohabitating mostly peacefully for three years-and-a-bit.
(There's definitely no fresh turmeric to be found here.)
Thanks for recommending Seabright Deli. Exceptional sandwiches are important to me and I’m happy to spend more on them