Gaeng Ki Lek: On the Trail of a Curry from Northern Thailand to Suburban KL (Part 2 of 2)

(.....cont'd)

"Ki lek!" she announced triumphantly, before heading off to her kitchen table to prepare the leaves for inclusion in a spicy upcountry gaeng (curry).

I'm no botanist, and an English translation on the menu of the Bangkok restaurant mentioned in Part 1, of ki lek leaves as "caper leaves", threw me off-track for well over two years as I tried to identify their source.  (The flower buds of the ki lek tree, below, do resemble caper berries.)

In the comments section of my previous post (Part 1) knowledgeable EatingAsia reader RST informs me (or reminds me? presumably I followed and probably even participated in the Chowhound Chicago Board discussion of ki lek to which he alludes, but that was a few years ago) that the leaves Wan brought home are from a cassia tree common to SE Asia.  Some googling turned up this link to photos (click the photos icon on the upper left of the page) of Canafistula (cassia fistula), a hardwood tropical tree native to India, the Amazon, and Sri Lanka.  Also known as the "golden shower" tree because of the cascades of yellow blossoms it produces after dropping its leaves, the tree's leaves and bark are said to lower cholesterol and aid digestion.  Another few photos of Canafistula here suggest a possible match with ki lek (to health benefits listed prior Wan adds that ki lek reduces flatulence, relieves a sore throat, and "helps men when they need it").  I'm willing to call it mystery solved -- and so let's get on with dinner.

[Update: now, thanks to yet another comment by reader RST, mystery *really* solved.  Leaves in question are from the "Kassod Tree" (Cassia siamea), a fast-growing 30-40' tree native to, among other places, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and (probably) Thailand .. and naturalized in the American tropics.  Photos of the tree and a good ones of the leaves and buds, which helped me to confirm identification, can be found here.]

Before being added to a curry fresh ki lek leaves must be washed well and boiled to tame their bitterness.  Wan boiled leaves and ki lek buds together for 15 minutes.  After draining and rinsing the leaves well, she boiled them again for another 15 minutes.  At this point the ki lek leaves can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days before using.

Those of you not living in Asia may be able to find fresh ki lek leaves at a well-stocked Thai grocery.  If you live in Florida, where Canafistula is not uncommon, you might even be able to pick some yourself (younger, smaller leaves are tastier).  Otherwise, look for bottled, pickled ki lek leaves.  RST reports that in Chicago they are available at Thai Grocery at Broadway and Argyle; I also found them available to mail order (in the US) here.  Prepared ki lek leaves should be rinsed well in warm water and patted dry before use.

Gaeng Ki Lek (Ki Lek Curry)

The measurements for this curry are inspecific, in part because Wan, eager to get the ki lek show on the road, proceeded to pound together the curry paste while I was out walking the dog.  So I've had to pull together a recipe from her recollection of how much of each ingredient she used, in fairly vague amounts.  No matter -- ki lek is a true homestyle Thai dish, prepared with slight variations, region to region and cook to cook.  A Thai cook would say, if you like it garlicky, add more garlic, if you can't take the heat reduce the number of chilies (or/and remove their seeds) or use a milder variety of chili, and if you like your curries with a wee sour edge go ahead and throw in a couple kaffir lime leaves or stir in a bit of lime juice at the end, even though the recipe doesn't call for it.  You can also, Wan says, substitute grilled pork, chunks of fish, chicken pieces (on the bone), or beef for the pork in this recipe, if that's your preference.

6 plump cloves of garlic, chopped

5 shallots, chopped

10 dried long red Thai chilies, soaked in warm water for 1/2 an hour, then cut into quarters

5 fresh red chilies (mild to incendiary, according to your taste), sliced crosswise about 1/2 inch thick

4 fingers of krachai (if using pickled krachai, soak in hot water for 1/2 hour, rinse and dry), chopped

2 one-inch slices of kha (galangal), chopped

4 stalks of lemongrass, bottom tender 4-5 inches only, peeled and finely chopped

2 1/2 cups rich coconut milk (coconut cream not separated)

fish sauce

a big bunch of ki lek leaves, prepared as described above, or a large jar of pickled leaves, rinsed

approx. 1/3 pound of pork, sliced thin as if for stir-fry

For the curry paste, pound together, using a heavy pestle and mortar, the garlic, krachai, kha, lemongrass, and dried chilies.  Add the chilies and pound lightly just to bruise them, not to incorporate fully into the paste.  (Alternatively grind the ingredients together in a powerful blender or a food processor, adding *just* enough water to get them blended.  Then pound the fresh chilies with the handle of a heavy knife and chuck them into the paste.)

Bring the coconut milk to a boil, in a wok or heavy-duty fry pan, over medium heat.  Lower heat to a gentle simmer.  The milk should thicken and eventually (within 10 minutes) give up its oil (globules of fat will appear on the surface).  At this point stir in the curry paste.  Simmer gently and continue to stir. After about 4-5 minutes, until the paste ingredients are sufficiently heated and the mixture becomes aromatic.  Continue to stir another couple of minutes and then add fish sauce, a tablespoon at a time, until the salt balance of the curry is to your liking.  The curry should nap a spoon, but not too heavily -- add some water if necessary.

Add the pork and stir until it is cooked through.  Add the ki lek leaves and buds and cook until they are heated through.

Serve with jasmine or Thai red rice.  About 3 servings, with one or two other dishes.

Comments

[RST]

Oh my, what gorgeous pictures!

Cassia leaves lose almost all of their color/chlorophyll in the process of brining/bottling. You simply cannot get the same brilliant green you get from fresh leaves. I also suspect that brining toughens the already-quite-leathery ki lek leaves a bit too much. If I remember correctly, the fresh leaves also have a slightly mucilaginous quality-am I right?-and this is definitely also absent in the bottled form. On the other hand, with the brined ki lek, you do not have to bother with the tedious process of removing the bitterness.

I will post here when fresh ki lek leaves are available at Thai Grocery. Bottled (and possibly also frozen?) cassia leaves are almost certainly also available in Chicago at Thai Food Corp (Broadway, just north of Lawrence), Golden Pacific (Broadway at about 5300? N) and so on.

I think that the exact scientific name for Thai ki lek is Cassia siamea or Senna siamea (perhaps also Cassia javanica). Cassia/Senna fistula seems to be a completely different species altogether. In a University of Melbourne botanical website (www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/sorting/cassia.html + also see plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/sorting.senna.html), the listed Chinese names are different. Cassia siamea (kasod tree) is called t'ieh (iron) tao (knife) shu (tree) while Cassia fistula is la chang shu (sausage tree) or zhu (pig) chang (intestine/sausage) shu (tree) perhaps bec the pods hang like sausages being dried. Neither of these should be confused with Cinnamomum cassia (in the Laurel family) or so-called "ersatz cinnamon" although its bark (specially those sourced from northern Vietnam) is sometimes preferred to that of "true" cinnamon. For Cinnamomum cassia, see Gernot Katzer's webpage: (www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/generic_frame.html?Cinn_cas.html). To add to the confusion, kwei p'i in Mandarin refers to cassia (cinnamon) bark but kwei (same word) hua refers to something else: osmanthus blossoms.

Great post!

[Robyn]

Thanks RST. Yes, I had some lingering doubts abt cassia fistula being a match; none of the photos I found on the web gave a clear enough image of the leaves to say a definitive "yay" or "nay". But -- thank you! -- cassia siamea, aka "Thailand Shower", aka Kassod Tree ... this is it! Will update the page accordingly.

Re: mucilaginous quality of fresh leaves ... a bit I suppose, but nothing along the lines of, say, okra or "slippery vegetable" (aka Malabar or Ceylon spinach). It wasn't a quality that jumped out at me as I was eating my gaeng ki lek.

[RST]

Foodfirst/Robyn was one of the key figures in the great flowering of connoisseurship of Thai cuisine on the old Chowhound Chicago Board during the heroic days. With her pioneering translations of the Spoon Thai and Yum Thai "secret" menus, she was instrumental in cracking the code of "true" Thai eating. All Chicago is forever in her debt for opening up this road to a hitherto mysterious brave new world. She was always available to answer detailed questions both technical and conceptual (the long discussions on the "essence" of Thai cuisine are legendary). Although we conducted this correspondence entirely through emails and although it took her till earlier this year (2005) to make it to visit us in Chicago, she was truly an integral part of the great Chicago food avant-garde of 2002/2003, an avant-garde that totally and definitively transformed the discourse of food in this city.

[RST]

1.) How about a picture of the tree?

2.) Does Wan use the tender stems as well?

3.) Try to find out the Malay name. I bet you there's a Malay recipe for these leaves as well.

4.) Was at Thai Food Corp. and found another brand of brined ki lek. Bought the cutest thing: a traditonal terra-cotta khanom kroc maker complete with a beautifully formed brazier and individual mini clay lids. Not that I would ever make khanom kroc at home-but now I can put my nose up next time I visit a foodie kitchen and sniff-"yeah sure you might make a Pacojet in your home kitchen, but do you have a khanom kroc maker?" ;0)

[Robyn]

RST -- way too many pple involved in the development of that Thai food scene in Chicago (namely you all, who live there!) to place so much of it at my feet. I was in the right place at the right time (Bangkok) ... unfortunately much of the knowledge I gained in that year, including the language, has taken flight from my brain in the intervening 3 years!
1) been too lazy to get out with the digital camera. But I'll do it.
2) no -- leaves and buds only
3) you're undoubtedly right. No local friend or acquaintance to date has put a name to these leaves. I haven't yet resorted to accosting total strangers on the street. If there's a Malay prep I would bet it's sth along the lines of fried with coconut and dried prawns, as is done with merengeh.
4) oh, khanom kroc .... mmmmmmm.....

[RST]

Had gaeng ki lek at Thai Grocery again today. In the small produce section, I saw (in addition to regular items such as bai champloo, different varieties of Ocimum, curry leaves and so on) small packs of beautiful fresh yellow sanoh flowers. These are also Sesbania, related to the dok khae flowers (Sesbania grandiflora, Filipino = katuray flowers) I once wrote about at length on CH. Cambodians steam these flowers shortly and eat them with kapi. Thais make gaeng som with these flowers. Also saw krachet (water mimosa) and malah tips (shoots/tips of bitter melon) which can be simply stirfired with a few dried shrimps or a bit of meat. I asked the owner of Thai Grocery if one could also use the ki lek flowers in the same way for gaeng som and he said no-that only ki lek buds are eaten. He also mentioned that pakood (fiddlehead ferns-see Robyn's previous post on this) is a standard addition to gaeng naw mae.

Richard
[email protected]

[Maukitten]

Hi

I thought I saw ki lek at the Village Grocer last Sat. It was labelled "daun turi".

Mau

[Tina Dole]

I've been looking for tropical plants that I could cook with. I'm into trying new things in the kitchen and I think that sounds like fun. Does anyone have any really good recipes?

[Philipkhor]

How do I grow kilek successfully? I had failed attempts by trans-planting the stem. Also individual naked branches don't seem to be able to grow by itself. Does it need plenty of water, or alkaline soil?