Fry and Deep Fry Archives

The Elegance of Khanohm Khaang Khaao (ขนมค้างคาว)

If palaces represent grandeur and wealth within a society, and poems often focus on emotional experience or the beauty of language, then the significance of a dumpling may be inferred by its structured elegance and minimalism – each fold and pleat a deliberate act, and each filling a curated experience constructing comfort in its most elemental form. Khanom khaang khaao (ขนมค้างคาว) is a traditional Siamese fried, triangular-shaped dumpling with obvious Chinese origins. Its earliest recorded recipe can be traced back to Jao Khraawk Thaawng Yuu (เจ้าครอกทองอยู่), a distinguished aristocrat from the royal court of Ayutthaya. Historical records indicate that, from the early days of the Rattanakosin era, her recipe was a favored snack within the Siamese royal court. These dumplings are shaped like triangles and, according to some, resemble bats: For this reason, they are called khanom khaang khaao (ขนมค้างคาว) – ‘the bat’s treat’. The dumpling’s dough is made from rice and mung bean flours; its filling is prepared by combining grated coconut and shrimp meat, which are cooked together into a dense, flavorful mixture that brings out the nutty-sweet taste of the grated coconut and the savory-sweet flavors of the shrimp. Kaffir lime leaves, sliced into hair-thin juliennes, add a hint of citrus.

Battered Fried Firm Pork Fat, also called Muu Gradoht (ทอดมันมันหมูแข็ง; thaawt man man muu khaeng)

Muu gradoht — firm pork fat boiled, sliced, and fried in a rice-flour coconut batter tinted with red limestone solution. Lady Gleep Mahithaawn, 1949.

Golden Chestnut Fried Rice with Mint and Tomato (ข้าวผัดกาหรี่; khaao phat garee), circa 1935

Dating from the early 1900s, this tempting fried rice dish highlights how the Siamese aristocracy savored their golden rice, perfumed with an alluring blend of imported spices. The dish can be enjoyed on its own or as part of a larger meal featuring curries and soups.

Snakehead Fish Nam Tok Recipe ; Spicy Issan Style Deep Fried Snakehead Fish Dressed with Fresh Herbs
(naam dtohk bplaa chaawn)
สูตรทำน้ำตกปลาช่อน

Here is a wonderful spicy Nam Tok recipe; you may as well go for it! A crispy fried fish dressed with plenty of fresh herbs, plenty of chilies than some lime juice and fragrant ground roasted rice as a textural binder. It is an unpretentious dish, that is just about what is around and what is available; there is some sort of truth about it, which makes it so wonderful. If you are trying your first Issan style recipe, than this is the one to go for. It is not complicated to prepare and will show off beautifully the hearty and rustic flavors of Issan.

Thai Spicy Catfish Recipe
Crispy Catfish Stir-Fried with Wild Ginger and Fresh Peppercorn
(bplaa dook thaawt graawp phat grachaai phrik thai aawn)
สูตรทำปลาดุกทอดกรอบผัดกระชายพริกไทยอ่อน

This Thai spicy catfish recipe gives catfish a new and fabulous spin. You can either use farmed or game fish with the same phenomenal results. The intensity of the wild ginger combined with aromatic fresh peppercorn will turn even muddy flavor fish into a delicacy. Slice the fish are first, then role it in flour and deep-fry it to a crispy crunch. Quickly stir-fry the crispy fish with wild ginger and the peppercorns releasing their aromatic oils, creating wonderful flavors. While seasoning with light soy sauce and oyster sauce, our fish is now regaining heavenly moisture without losing its tempting crispiness.

Shanghai-Style Fried Rolls (ทอดมันเซี่ยงไฮ้; thaawt man siiang hai)

Thaawt man siiang hai, pork and crab rolls in tofu skin with five-spice, steamed then fried. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1933 cookbook.

Tom Yum Goong Soup Recipe of Prawns and SaNoh Flowers Fried Cakes (ต้มยำกุ้งทอดมันดอกโสน ; tom yum goong thaawt man daawk sanoh)

Today’s tom yum goong soup recipe is a refreshing addition to the tom yum soup repertoire. The fried SaNoh Flower Cakes sensationally enhance the shrimp’s natural sweetness, while the flower’s bittersweet aftertaste is a superb tropical match to the citrusy and aromatic hot and sour tom yum goong soup.

Khanohm faawy or Khanohm handtraa A Forgotten Thai Dessert and Snack ขนมฝอย หรือ ขนมหันตรา

Known as Khanohm faawy (ขนมฝอย) or Khanohm handtraa, this sweet or savory packet can be a dessert or a snack. The dessert has a sweet filling of silky mung beans and a coconut marzipan-like paste, while the snack’s savory filling consists of shrimp and pork minced and seasoned with garlic, coriander root and white peppercorns. Each is theatrically wrapped in a striking nest of skillfully crafted duck’s egg thread.

Battered and Deep-Fried Unripe Rice and Grated Coconut Banana Rolls (ข้าวเม่าทอด ; khaao mao thaawt)

Deceptively simple, the recipe for battered, deep-fried unripe rice and grated coconut banana rolls (khao mao thaawt, ข้าวเม่าทอด) is actually quite challenging to master. Like so many Thai dessert recipes, this seemingly straightforward dish has a complex character.

Stir-Fried Salted Beef with Coconut Milk (ผัดเนื้อกะทิ; phat neuua ga thi)

Stir-Fried Salted Beef with Coconut Cream (ผัดเนื้อกะทิ; phat neuua ga thi)

Phat neuua ga thi, grilled sun-dried salted beef shredded and wok-tossed in thick coconut cream with shallots. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Taro and Crab Fritters (ทอดมันปูเผือก; thaawt man bpuu pheuuak)

Thaawt man bpuu pheuuak: finely shredded taro and sea crab in coconut-cream batter, fried in flat molds. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Sour-Sweet Savory Crispy Rice Vermicelli with Bitter Orange (Mee Krob) (หมี่กรอบส้มซ่าทรงเครื่อง ; Mee Graawp)

mee graawp sohng khreuuang (หมี่กรอบทรงเครื่อง), is an exquisitely regal dish of crispy rice vermicelli. The delicate noodles strands are washed and dried, then fried to a crisp light-golden hue. They retain their brittle crunch and airy texture even after being stir-fried with a clinging sticky sauce that encases the noodles in a thin layer of sheen. This sauce, mixed into the noodles together with other ingredients such as thin slices of pickled garlic and bitter orange peel, impart the dish with a light, fresh sweet and sour, and slightly salty and citrusy glaze.

Fried Dried Fish with Watermelon (ผัดปลาแห้งแตงอุลิต ; phat bplaa haaeng dtaaeng oo lit)

Here is a summer dish that showcases the wisdom of creating complex flavors through simplicity. Using just lightly salted semi-dried snakehead fish, golden deep-fried shallots and a sweetening agent (either sugar or coconut), we create a condiment that partners perfectly with pieces of sweet juicy watermelon.

Matsya Avatara (The Fish Incarnation) (มัสยาวตาร; mat saya aa waa dtaan)

Matsya Avatara: deboned whole red snapper filled with a roasted seven-spice paste, steamed in banana leaf, then fried golden. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Yam Sohm Choon Mango Salad with Sweet Pork Condiment, Fermented Shrimp Paste, Shallots, and Crispy Deep-Fried Fluffy Fish (ยำส้มฉุน ; yam sohm choon)

Yam sohm choon is a sour green mango salad served with grilled fermented shrimp paste; roughly chopped shallots; sweet pork condiment, deep-fried fluffy grilled catfish and seasoned with fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice and topped with deep-fried dry chilies cut into small pieces. If you follow Thai movies and TV dramas, you probably remember Sohm Choon, the adorable boy ghost character from the period romance movie Reun Mayura (1997), which was a love story between a beautiful woman and a handsome man living in different periods of time.

Full Moon Eggs (ไข่ดวงเดือน; khai duaang deuuan)

Full Moon Eggs, hard-boiled egg halves stuffed with ham, pork fat, and chicken, wrapped in caul fat and fried in lard. Maawm Ying Soophaa, 1949.

Three Companions Fried Coconut Balls (ขนมสามเกลอ; kha nohm saam gluuhr)

Khanom sam kloe, palm sugar, coconut and sesame balls pressed together in threes, battered and deep-fried. From Princess Jongjittanom Dissakul, 1978.

Old-Fashioned Phat Phrik Khing, Yesteryear's Travel Food (ผัดพริกขิง อาหารคนเดินทาง)

Spiced Fried Pork (หมูทอดเครื่องเทศ; muu thaawt khreuuang thaeht)

Muu thaawt khreuuang thaeht: pork tenderloin scored, rubbed with dry-roasted white peppercorns, coriander, cumin, and nutmeg, then breaded and fried. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Islamic Khanom Bueang (ขนมเบื้องอิสลาม; khanom bueang itlaam)

Khanom bueang itlaam, a Thai-Muslim ghee-fried parcel of laminated wheat dough filled with turmeric-spiced chicken, potato, and onion. Jeeb Bunnag, 1945.

Nang Laweng Sticky Rice (ข้าวเหนียวนางละเวง; khaao niaao naang la waehng)

Khaao niaao naang la waehng, black glutinous rice balls deep-fried in lard with spiced beef and potato filling. Delicious Side Dishes, 1935.

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