Today I am introducing to you two very Thai recipes. The first recipe, Green Apple with Nam Pla Wan Sauce represents Thais love for fruits and a different way of eating fruits that are sour. Usually this dish is eaten as snacks using sour green mangoes but since you might have difficulties finding green mangoes abroad I have changed it to sour Granny Smith Apples.

Directions:
1. Put a sauce pot on the stove and bring to boil the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind pulp juice. If the mixture does not mix well add just a small amount of water and boil the liquid down until the sauce thickens a little. Before taking off heat taste the sauce, it should be equally sweet, sour and salty. Take off heat and allow to cool.
2. Once the liquid is cooled, add the fried shallots and sprinkle the top of the sauce in a bowl with the ground dry shrimp and coarsely crushed fried dry chili peppers.
3. Serve this sauce as a dipping sauce for peeled, sliced sour green mangoes or any kinds of crispy fruits that are sour such as green apples.

Tips:
a. This dish is definitely an acquired taste but it goes to show Thais love for fruits in their diet. You might notice on the street those push carts selling chilled sliced fruits such as pineapples, green guava, papaya and also green mangoes, all these fruits are eaten as afternoon snacks with another dipping concoction made of salt, granulated sugar and fresh ground chili peppers. This is another version of the Nam Pla Wan Sauce.
b. When bring the sauce to boil be careful not to use too high heat, since the sugar will burn quickly before all is melted.

     The second recipe is an import. The wonton soup and fried wonton require the use of wheat flour to make the dough which goes to make the wonton skins. We do not grow wheat in Thailand so wheat had to be imported and we go the recipes and acquired the techniques from the Chinese. Wonton soup is usually eaten for lunch or as snacks and are sold in small shop house food stands all over the country as well as various kinds of noodle dishes. Fried wontons are basically snacks or munchies to be eaten with beer or cocktails. This recipe represents the frying technique in Thai cuisine which is definitely an import since we did not have metal pans or fat for frying. Thais have become so accustomed to the wok that they call it “Gah Tah Thai” or Thai frying pan without realizing that this piece of cooking implement is imported from China.

Gieu Moo Tod Lae Gieu Nam ( Fried Pork Wonton and Wonton Soup)

 Ingredients:

Wonton Wrappers                                                        1       pack

Ground pork                                                                200   grams

Salt                                                                           ½      Tsp.

Ground Pepper                                                             1       Tsp.

Soy sauce                                                                   1       Tbsp.

Ground fresh pork fat                                                     ½      cup

Water chestnut, peeled and chopped                                ¼      cup

Green onions, chopped                                                   ½      cup

Corn starch                                                                  2       Tsp.

Sesame oil                                                                   1       Tsp.

Crispy fried garlic in oil                                                 as needed

Leaf lettuce                                                               as needed

Pork or chicken stock                                                   as needed

Vegetable oil for frying wontons                                     as needed

Chinese plum sauce                                                     as needed

Directions:
1. To make the filling for the wonton skins, mix together the ground pork, salt, ground pepper, soy sauce, ground pork fat, water chestnut, green onions, corn starch and sesame oil.
2. Spoon a small amount if the filling onto the center of the wonton sheet. Dab a small amount of water on your finger tip and rub your finger around the edges of the wonton skin.
3. Fold the wonton skin into a triangle and press down the edges to seal. Continue making these wontons until all the filling mix is used up or you sun out of the skins.
4. Keep the skins chilled and lightly dusted with flour so they do not stick together.
5. For fried wontons, simple deep fry them in hot oil making sure that the oil is not too hot because the skin will burn before the filling gets cooked. Take the crispy cooked wontons out of the oil and place on absorbent paper and serve hot with Chinese plum sauce.
6. For wonton soup, have ready boiling stock and another pot of boiling water. Cook the wonton in boiling water until the filling is done, (one minute, depending on the size of the wonton) and take them out with a slotted spoon and place in a soup bowl.
7. Spoon one or two teaspoon of garlic in oil into the soup bowl and mix well with the cooked wonton. Add the torn lettuce leaves into the soup bowl and pour the seasoned stock over the wonton to complete the wonton soup.

Tips:
a. The wonton keep well refrigerated for one day but does not freeze well because when you thaw them out, too much moisture comes off and make the wonton soggy and stick together.
b. You can always pre-make the filling and freeze it. Wonton skins also sold frozen and keep well in the freezer.
c. The thinner the wonton skin the better the fried wonton will be. As for wonton soup you can use thicker wonton skins but you will have to cook them in boiling water longer to make sure that the wonton is really cooked.
d. Wonton soup is seasoned, as preferred by each individual with fish sauce, ground chili peppers, sugar, and vinegar. This is indeed a very Thai way of eating.