alkaline/lye water (kan sui)
t r i l l i u m
found kan sui called lye water on the web. Anybody have any guesses about
what this could be or how to mimic it's effect and taste in mooncake pastry
in you are in the US?
regards,
trillium
serenity5
I was at an Asian supermarket last week and saw some bottles of lye
solution.
I forgot what percentage it was. The concentration should be low since
a solution of it can be very corrosive to the skin. I should know since I
used
to make soap by using lye and oil. Lye is also used to clear drain pipes.
Rethinking back to chemistry, I suppose lye solution is used to add
a bitter taste. Though, that's just a guess.
I'm also planning on making mooncakes since they can be very expensive.
pn
aem
> We want to make mooncakes, but are stumped with the alkaline water part.
> I
> found kan sui called lye water on the web. Anybody have any guesses
> about
> what this could be or how to mimic it's effect and taste in mooncake
> pastry
> in you are in the US?
>
> regards,
> trillium
My guess would be to try a bit of baking soda -- but I don't know, and
Lin Nah
>We want to make mooncakes, but are stumped with the alkaline water part. I
>found kan sui called lye water on the web. Anybody have any guesses about
>what this could be or how to mimic it's effect and taste in mooncake pastry
>in you are in the US?
and made that into biscuits
I presume alkaline water can't be found at the asian food shops in your
area?
Lin
--
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Details in nz.reg.auckland.general. email lin@darkmere<period>gen<period>nz
for details or if you would like to attend.
A.Ferszt
>
> We want to make mooncakes, but are stumped with the alkaline water part. I
> found kan sui called lye water on the web. Anybody have any guesses about
> what this could be or how to mimic it's effect and taste in mooncake pastry
> in you are in the US?
>
> trillium
Your local Oriental shop will have it.
t r i l l i u m
~Your local Oriental shop will have it.
We've looked. We've had conversations with our favorite person who works
there. They don't have it or she doesn't know what I'm talking about...which
wouldn't be surprising she she speaks only a little Cantonese and we don't
speak any VietNamese! Maybe now that it is mooncake time, they'll have it.
I'll look again...I presume it's found in the baking section, right?
thanks,
trillium
A.Ferszt
>
Umm, my usual place doesn't have a 'baking' section. They keep it with
the bottled liquids: soy sauce, vinegars etc.
I don't know if you can make it yourself. You'd need food-grade lye.
Might check with a pharmacist.
TJ
> t r i l l i u m wrote:
> >
> > "A.Ferszt" <afe...@ic.ac.uk> wrote:
> >
> > ~Your local Oriental shop will have it.
> >
> > We've looked. We've had conversations with our favorite person who works
> > there.
> Umm, my usual place doesn't have a 'baking' section. They keep it with
> the bottled liquids: soy sauce, vinegars etc.
>
I believe I've seen a Pearl River Brand f.s. cheap in Vancouver.
tj
one three nine@hotmail.com p j kirk
how about a net site that has it for order?
Phil speaking from way out in the country side of PA [where the nearest
shop is about 1 1/2 hours drive with NO PSU football traffic]
Dsoohoo
the complex use of chemicals for a special result. Other chemicals such as
borax, saltpeter, msg, and more are other chemicals used for special effects.
Lye water is not sodium hydroxide (Drano). It is more like lime water. It is
simply used to lighten the texture of the flour crust. Lye water is also used
to tenderize squid and beef when baking soda is not available.
Using chemicals in any food recipe will create a yin-yang to the outcome. It
may be less healthy and nutritional -- but the outcome is unique.
Learning to use chemicals in Asian cooking is not easy to learn. Experienced
Asian cooks will say chemicals should be left to the commerical and
manufacturing food industry. Simply having chemicals in the pantry increases
the danger of food poisoning!
Kan sui means "soap water" and should not literally be associated with lye in
making soap.
David SooHoo
t r i l l i u m
~First of all, you do not need lye water to make mooncake.
I know, but I /want/ to use lye water to make mooncakes. That's how most of
them are done in Singapore, and it's that special texture of the crust that we
want to recreate. Almost all Malay and Singaporean recipes for mooncakes call
for kan sui or alkaline water, so I think its use (in home kitchens) is quite
common.
Here are a few online recipes you might be interested in looking at:
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/moon5.html#durian
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/moon6.html#jade
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/moon7.html#lotus
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/moon1.html
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/lunar.html
We want to make fei chui yuet paeng because these were the bf's favorite ones
back home and we can't find that type where we live.
~Learning to use chemicals in Asian cooking is not easy to learn. Experienced
~Asian cooks will say chemicals should be left to the commerical and
~manufacturing food industry.
Everything is a chemical. If chemicals were left to the commercial and
manufacturing food industries, we wouldn't be able to cook at home :-).
Thank you for your post, it was interesting and I enjoyed reading it.
regards,
trillium
Lin Nah
>~Your local Oriental shop will have it.
>We've looked. We've had conversations with our favorite person who works
>there. They don't have it or she doesn't know what I'm talking about...which
>wouldn't be surprising she she speaks only a little Cantonese and we don't
>speak any VietNamese! Maybe now that it is mooncake time, they'll have it.
>I'll look again...I presume it's found in the baking section, right?
err your asian food shop is more organised than the ones I go to.
I just walk along the aisles looking at the bottles 8)
Peter L
t r i l l i u m wrote:
>
Dawhey
sui.
The bottle that I have in the fridge is SARAP BRAND, CHINESE LYE WATER
(LEHIA). The ingredents are: water, sodium carbonate and sodium
silicate. There is no indication of the concentration. It was packed
in the Philippines for Anhing Corporation, Los Angeles, CA. (213)
221-8003. I suggest that you call them with any questions.
Reply to: davecutts at pdq.net
I wish you well.
Dawhey
Dawhey
I have never used lye water in moon cakes, but have in dishes which
use tofu such as:
Tofu and Prawn Dumplings
Kam Chin Tofu (Golden Coin Bean curd)
Michael Babcock
<headmi...@sex.school.nz> wrote:
> t r i l l i u m <tbla...@nwu.edu> wrote:
> >We want to make mooncakes, but are stumped with the alkaline water part. I
> >found kan sui called lye water on the web. Anybody have any guesses about
> >what this could be or how to mimic it's effect and taste in mooncake pastry
> >in you are in the US?
> I used baking soda. Mind you all I was after was to make the pastry
> and made that into biscuits
>
> I presume alkaline water can't be found at the asian food shops in your
> area?
Do you suppose they might mean Limestone water? In Thai
cooking they dissolve a limestone paste in water and
then use the water once it has settled: mainly it's
done to give a crispyness to things.
Michael Babcock
mich...@lmi.net
t r i l l i u m
~In article <7r27cj$k70$2...@hama.darkmere.gen.nz>, Lin Nah
~<headmi...@sex.school.nz> wrote:
~
~> t r i l l i u m <tbla...@nwu.edu> wrote:
~> >We want to make mooncakes, but are stumped with the alkaline water part. I
~> >found kan sui called lye water on the web. Anybody have any guesses about
~> >what this could be or how to mimic it's effect and taste in mooncake pastry
~> >in you are in the US?
~> I used baking soda. Mind you all I was after was to make the pastry
~> and made that into biscuits
~>
~> I presume alkaline water can't be found at the asian food shops in your
~> area?
~
~Do you suppose they might mean Limestone water? In Thai
~cooking they dissolve a limestone paste in water and
~then use the water once it has settled: mainly it's
~done to give a crispyness to things.
Maybe! What does limestone paste look like? This stuff comes in grey and
white balls and you dissolve it in water, or buy it already diluted.
The pastry is kind of crispy, so maybe it will be a good substitute. We're
off for a monster shop at the Asian shops and if I can't find it at the Viet
Namese shop, I'll go buy limestone paste at the Thai shop.
thanks,
trillium
me
According to the bottle I have, the ingredients
are water, potassium carbonate, & bicarbonate
of soda.
Also, do not confuse this with the Chinese medicine
'gansui' (sometimes spelled kansui). This is a cathartic
which causes you to pass water anally!
Victor Sack
> Also, do not confuse this with the Chinese medicine
> 'gansui' (sometimes spelled kansui). This is a cathartic
> which causes you to pass water anally!
Is this just another way to describe something that induces diarrhoea,
i.e. a laxative?
Victor
TJ
sa...@uni-duesseldorf.de (Victor Sack) wrote:
Hadn't you heard? It's other name is fistula in a bottle.
tj
me
are used to treat fluid in the chest or abdominal cavity, such as
plurisy or ascites.
On Sat, 18 Sep 1999 10:42:14 +0200, sa...@uni-duesseldorf.de (Victor
Sack) wrote:
>me <zho...@concentric.net> wrote:
>
>> Also, do not confuse this with the Chinese medicine
>> 'gansui' (sometimes spelled kansui). This is a cathartic
>> which causes you to pass water anally!
>
>Is this just another way to describe something that induces diarrhoea,
>i.e. a laxative?
>
>Victor
Victor Sack
me <zho...@concentric.net> wrote:
> On Sat, 18 Sep 1999 10:42:14 +0200, sa...@uni-duesseldorf.de (Victor
> Sack) wrote:
>
> >me <zho...@concentric.net> wrote:
> >
> >> Also, do not confuse this with the Chinese medicine
> >> 'gansui' (sometimes spelled kansui). This is a cathartic
> >> which causes you to pass water anally!
> >
> >Is this just another way to describe something that induces diarrhoea,
> >i.e. a laxative?
> Absolutely not. A cathartic is extremely violent and dangerous. They
> are used to treat fluid in the chest or abdominal cavity, such as
> plurisy or ascites.
Well, unless this 'cathartic' somehow turns humans into birds and causes
them to grow a cloaca, I don't see how it can cause them to 'pass water
anally' in any way other than by acting as a laxative. Actually, I
looked that herb up and found the following at
<http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/_scripts/getHerb_Dir.idc?Herb_
Names=369>:
<quote>
Name: Kansui root
Biological Name: Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiae kansui
Other Names: Kansui root, Euphorbia kansui, Gan sui
[snip]
Remedies For: Laxative, emetic, anthelmintic
Purges severe fluid accumulation, has a strong laxative action,
eliminates intestinal worms. Used for serious edema in the abdomen or
for generalized edema. (Use with caution because of its violent nature.)
It might be considered for acute symptoms attendant to liver cirrhosis,
hydrothorax, ascites, dysuria, pleurisy, constipation, and inflammation
of the lymph glands.
[snip]
</quote>
No surprise here. Of course, in Western medicine, it would be rare to
use a laxative or emetic for treatment of such conditions as pleurisy,
hydrothorax and ascites. The doctor doing so would be setting
him/herself up for a malpractice lawsuit.
ObFood: Alsatians have always been quite inventive with choucroûte
(sauerkraut). Here is a recipe for choucroûte soup. It comes from
Elizabeth David's 'French Country Cooking'.
Victor
Choucroûte Soup
(An unusual soup with a pleasant smoky flavour)
1 lb choucroûte (sauerkraut) or the equivalent of tinned choucroûte, 2
medium potatoes, 2 rashes bacon, or a bacon bone, or rinds of bacon,
pepper, salt, bayleaf, 6 juniper berries, 2 lumps sugar, 1 oz dried
mushrooms, 1/4 lb uncooked salame sausage or 2 or 3 smoked Frankfurter
sausages, 2 pints stock or water, 2 oz cream.
Put the choucroûte into a large pan; add the potatoes, peeled and cut
up small, the dried mushrooms, the bacon, or the bacon bone or rind, the
herbs and seasonings and the stock or water. Simmer for about 1 hour.
Put all through a sieve. Return to the pan.
Cut up the sausage, and cook it in the soup for 15 minutes. Before
serving, stir in the cream and, if you like, some grated cheese as well.
Harry A. Demidavicius
just get you to the "head" of the line [small Navy pun here :]
Harry Demidavicius
On Mon, 20 Sep 1999 12:49:38 +0200, sa...@uni-duesseldorf.de (Victor
Lin Nah
>> t r i l l i u m <tbla...@nwu.edu> wrote:
>> >We want to make mooncakes, but are stumped with the alkaline water part. I
>> >found kan sui called lye water on the web. Anybody have any guesses about
>> >what this could be or how to mimic it's effect and taste in mooncake pastry
>> >in you are in the US?
>> I used baking soda. Mind you all I was after was to make the pastry
>> and made that into biscuits
>>
>> I presume alkaline water can't be found at the asian food shops in your
>> area?
>Do you suppose they might mean Limestone water? In Thai
>cooking they dissolve a limestone paste in water and
>then use the water once it has settled: mainly it's
>done to give a crispyness to things.
NO idea what is in it. The label on the blttle usually says lye water or
alkaline water. the "sui" is usually the cantonese pronunciation of the
word "water". I noticed it is used where i would prehaps expect to see
baking soda in a recipe.
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/tparty.html
Here are several recipes using it
two of my favourte sweet dishes:
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/chung1.html#kee
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/jelly2.html#kan
You'll find it is used in the mooncake pastry recipes
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/lunar.html
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home1/s7822403g/cindy/recipe.htm
regards
Lin