Golden Thai Pastry Cups, 'Kratong Tong'

For the filling, we've prepared a Thai standard but we also love kratong tong with a filling of Larb pork(spicy and Delicious!),green chicken curry, and kee mao squid. Our Thai friends like kratong tong with canned tuna fish mixed up with sliced lemongrass,shallot, fish sauce, garnished with sliced fresh Thai chile peppers. The possibilities are endless for the filling.

Kratong is a word you might hear each year in the fall, during the Thai national holiday called Loy Kratong. For this holiday, people place candles, flowers, etc, into a small bowl made of bamboo leaves and floating it down a river, making a prayer for a safe and prosperous year ahead.

Method (Filling)

Place butter in a wok or skillet, after it melts add onions and cook until they soften. Add chicken, carrot, potato, stir together then add 2-3 tablespoons of water. Fry over medium heat until cooked. In another bowl, mix flour with evaporated milk, then add this to the cooked ingredients. Stir until it all thickens, then add salt, Thai pepper powder, and Golden Mountain sauce. Adjust flavors as you like, and remove from heat. Cover and set aside.

Method (Pastry Cups)

You need two separate waters for the pastry cups. 2/3 cup of regular water, and another separate 2/3 cup slaked lime water.

Prepare slaked lime water by mixing one tablespoon lime paste with 2.5 cups water. Stir well and leave until the lime crystals sink to the bottom. Then pour 2/3 cups of this clear liquid into another container. Discard the rest.

Mix the two flours, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then egg yolks, oil. Mix this well with your hands and remove all lumps. Slowly add, bit-by-bit, the 2/3 cup of regular water (not the slaked lime water), mixing as you go. Get this batter as smooth as possible. Finally, add the 2/3 cup slaked lime water, and mix well. We ran this batter once through wire-mesh strainer to remove any remaining lumps. The batter should be nice and smooth, for best results.

Put batter in a bowl large enough for your kratong tong mold, and get ready for the fun of making your cups.

In a fairly deep frying pan, heat the 4 cups of cooking oil to medium-high (or a bit higher). Place yourkratong tong mold into the oil for a minute to let it get hot, this is important. When you're ready to start, remove the mold from the hold oil, turn it over and gently shake off oil from the mold, and quickly plunge your hot mold into the batter, so the batter coats the underside of the mold only. You should hear it sizzle a little bit. Your batter will stick to the bottom of the mold. Put the mold back into the hot oil and let it rest on the bottom of the pan to allow the batter to set. Within about 15 seconds, lift the mold up a bit, and the cups will fall away, or you may need to use a fork to gently push the cups away from the mold. When the cups are golden brown, remove from oil and place on a paper towel upside down to dry.

The cups are now ready to enjoy. You'll love the firm consistency and "bite" of these tasty cups. If you don't use the bowls right away, place them in a sealed container to ensure freshness.

When serving, garnish with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

Cooks tip: stir the batter just before you dip the mold into it, each time.