Recipe for Kai

[Whitto1]

Talking with my son about things naval and keeping watch and it reminded me of the thick drink "Kai".
Is there any old cooks with the recipe?

:rolleyes:

[steve roberts]

Hi Whittoe1,Im not an ex cook but seem to recall that it came in large blocks of solid dark chocolate.It was broken down into the required ammount and boiling water added.Optional was,condensed milk,sugar or pussers rum! Or if you are to believe Noel Coward in "In Which We Serve" Sherry!(Obviously Wardroom only! oops better duck for cover I can hear the incoming flak!!!!:D:D:D) Regards Steve

[Derek Dicker]

Don't forget the custard powder to make it really thick, remember it always had a strange effect during the morning watch, I done think I need to elaborate.


Derek (Bunts)

[Dave Hutson]

Then when you have got it all mixed .... down to the Boilerroom .... see Hookey Klankie and under the Live Steam Drain it goes ..... hey presto perfect Kai ..... back to the MWO yell up the Voicepipe and become the
Bridge crew's best oppo .... ahhhhh Memories :):):);)

Dave H

[Jan Steer]

It was best if the choc blocks were shaved into the wireless office kai fanny useing a pusser's dirk from the aerial king's rigging set before mixing with condensers and leaping away handsomely to the boiler room. Do they still get "watchkeeper's issues" in todays R.N?

best wishes
Jan

[ceylon220]

Cannot resist--where would you all have been without the poor old Stoker for putting your Kai under the old steam drain to give you perfect Expresso Kai!!!:rolleyes::rolleyes::D

[Dave Hutson]

Thankee kindly Klankie ..... we loved you if only for the essential steam drain:rolleyes:

Dave H

[steve roberts]

Hi Dave. Congrats on your "Thick Stripe" not refering to you mental capacity:D:D:D:D Do you remember on the Happy H the steam drain in the Junior Rates dinning hall,that every one used to heat up cans of soup? You had to be quick at Niners time or all the steam had gone! Not that I had that problem,being friendly with the waffoe Saftey Equipment lads and self heating soup! (Why was it always Mock Turtle Soup?) Steve.:D

[mik43]

I asked this question many moons ago but no one came up with the answer! The question is quite easy - why is 'kai' called 'kai'??

Mik

[Egypt]

Can't be sure whether this is actually the origin of the word, but Kai Khosrow was an ancient King of Persia said to have a mavellous cup filled with the elixir of life.
Yours Aye,
Michael
(A newbie to the forum)


QUOTE=mik43;90909]I asked this question many moons ago but no one came up with the answer! The question is quite easy - why is 'kai' called 'kai'??

Mik[/QUOTE]

[steve roberts]

Hi MIK. I was always under the assumtion that in was a dirivation of an old Hindi word similar to CHAR ( Tea) Steve.:confused:

[Scurs]

I always thought Kai, was spelt "Kye"??:confused:

[jbryce1437]

Only when it is spelled wrong:D

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/korea/Jamaica.html

[Stan.J]

Agree with you Scurs.I always spelt it Kye....On the Goose we had a steam reciprocating pump in the engine room, which was our usual place to steam the Kye..The recip.rods used to go up and down with the upstroke just appearing above the plates. We used to put a glove on the rod to make sure it was still working. I remember the Chief Stoker was rather a bible puncher and he did not like the two fingers of the glove constantly going up and down.

[harry.gibbon]

Pussers site spelling:-

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/training-and-people/rn-life/navy-slang/covey-crump-a-to-aye/kaag-kye/

Little h

[Ednamay]

Pussers site spelling:-

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/training-and-people/rn-life/navy-slang/covey-crump-a-to-aye/kaag-kye/

Little h

Yes, kye; my dad's recipe: grate the required amount from the block into a pint mug (!); if available, add a little milk to moisten to a sludge (!); top up with boiling water, add condensed milk to taste - then "fifteen men on a dead man's chest ........"

Told you he was a bit of a joker!!!

Edna

[Dave Hutson]

And don't forget the Custard Powder ....... sorry Derek beat you to it this time.;)

Dave H

[Derek Dicker]

Ok Dave, if the spoon didnt standup it wasnt worth drinking/eating


Derek (Bunts)

[Dave Hutson]

And there was silly old me thinking the brew had to melt the ladle. :o

Dave H

[Guz rating]

Has anyone ever tried to eat a bit off the block of kye, my mate did and he said it was horrible. Mind you that was about fifty years on after a good night in a hotel bar drinking Irish Coffee's. And Pussers kye and tea was a distant memory.

Alan

[Whitto1]

"Beaudy mate".

I'm off to get some extra dark chocolate, custard powder and a steam pipe. ( or will a bucket of steam do while I'm getting a long weight be OK?)

Do you thing good old Bundy Rum will suffice for pussers rum?

:D

[Dave Hutson]

Nibbling a bit of Kai block gave me my preference for Dark Chocolate. The original was great dark choc but does anyone remember the one that replaced it and was slightly lighter in colour - was it Australian??

Whitto1 - You'll probably need a skyhook to hang the billy on, and don't use that Aussie Rum or you'll spend the rest of the day in the dunny. There is no substitute for the real McCoy.:D:D

Dave H

[Ednamay]

Nibbling a bit of Kai block gave me my preference for Dark Chocolate. The original was great dark choc but does anyone remember the one that replaced it and was slightly lighter in colour - was it Australian??

Whitto1 - You'll probably need a skyhook to hang the billy on, and don't use that Aussie Rum or you'll spend the rest of the day in the dunny. There is no substitute for the real McCoy.:D:D

Dave H

The way to eat Kai was to grate it and suck it single sliver by single sliver - it really sharpened up the taste buds!!
Edna

[Dave Hutson]

Got it in one Edna ..... me nibblin was done while I was grating it in the Wireless Office for that lot on the Bridge and Flagdeck.:rolleyes:

You could probably use some complete with rum on the Isle of Wiggett right now - keep warm girl.

Dave H

[Polycell]

It was best if the choc blocks were shaved into the wireless office kai fanny useing a pusser's dirk from the aerial king's rigging set before mixing with condensers and leaping away handsomely to the boiler room. Do they still get "watchkeeper's issues" in todays R.N?best wishes
Jan
Yer joking aren't you? Todays matlots probably got expresso coffee machines etc and a girlie to get it for them!! Thats if they keep watches.
Cynical moi?

[mik43]

Thanks Michael and Steve for your thoughts on the why Kai/kye is called that, but we still don't have any definitive answer!! Lots of 'recipes', some of which sound rather disgusting, like adding custard powder, but only a couple of ideas on why it is called kai/kye!!!

So come on you load of ancient mariners, can't someone come up with the real reason, or is just something which has passed into Naval folklore and the real reason has disappeared without trace!!!

Mik

ps - By the way, I HATE cocoa or whatever you want to call it!!!!!!!

[Jan Steer]

It must be hell out there Polycell!!

best wishes
Jan

[steve roberts]

I've tried every web site I can find,tried typing in the different spellings.After sweating buckets doing the old research,what do I get? "A Slang word for drinking chocolate used in the Royal Navy,origine unknown" I give up.!!! Regards Steve.:(

[Guz rating]

When I was kid which is in the distant past we had a Fry's Chocolate factory half a mile from our house. Raw cocoa beans were delivered to factory we used to get some off the drivers if we asked nice. If you chewed them they tasted like Edna said sharp and bitter and slightly oily. So if you want to make Pussers Kye get some beans roast them grind them press them under pressure into blocks. Real gut rot, drink coffee instead.

Alan

[Ednamay]

I don't like to advertise but Lindt 90% is as dark as Kye - but it doesn't have that 'je ne sais quoi' - did someone say the greasy (oily?) tang??
Edna

[Guz rating]

The oily thing Edna that was moi but I can only give my opinion as I remember it, and as they say in France "Chacun ses gouts"

Alan.

[f32]

am i the only o/d left who could,nt stand the stuff? i vaguely recall having something like it at stand easy in Ganges along with a bun of some sort which wasn,t too bad but the stuff on board was diabolicle. needless to say i was always the por sod who had to make it. but i do remember it had to be thick and woe betide if you happen to miss someone.

[dayerb]

Well remember being on lookout duty on the midnight watch with my eyes frozen to the Binoculars and being given a mug of Kai? I took a mouthful of the ghastly stuff expecting it to be like mummys cocoa, not bitter chocolate washing up water with 1/4" of grease on top "UGH" sorry not for me.

[Jan Steer]

Didn't 'arf keep the cold out though!

best wishes
Jan