Crunchy Caramelized Thai Cookies ‘ขนมครองแครงกรอบ’

My readers,

Today I made a presentation of Thai snacks  ‘Crunchy Caramelized Thai cookies’ .

This is a traditional Thai Dry snack. Deep fried until crunchy, the unique taste comes from the ingredients of coconut cream as part of the dough. Coconut palm sugar and fish sauce used in the recipe for caramel sauce. The flavours of this fried cookies is special taste. We think it is special because  of a hint of the spiciness of black peppers and the balance of sweet and salt.

The petit seashell shape is similar shape of Conchiglie – The Italian pasta. Generally made two type of shapes: seashell shape or flat shape. Petit shell that can use fork to replace the wood pattern.  After deep fry two times until crunchy and finish with seasoned caramelized palm sugar.

This snack you can keep dry in air tight container and perfect for giving  as a gift by simply putting into a nice package. This snack is also much fun to make shells.

Dough 

500 gr  All purpose flour

4 Eggs

146 ml Coconut cream, home made coconut cream for this presentation use one coconut, If you not have a time please get coconut cream in Carton box, ‘Aroy Dee’ is quite good quality

2 Tbsp Water (estimated)

15 gr Baking powder

1 cup Tapioca flour or corn flour to dusk when shape

Caramel

25 gr Your prefer cooking oil, in this presentation I use sunflower oil

35 gr Coriander roots, is not available for our presentation today, I use coriander stem

25 gr Garlic, Peel, press or fine pound with pestle and mortar

10 gr Black pepper, toasted before coarsely pound with pestle and mortar

60 ml Water

50 ml Fish sauce

225 gr Coconut Palm sugar

1 – 1.5 Tbsp Corn syrup or malt syrup

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Addition ingredients: Cooking oil for deep fry and the wood pattern (also fork can be use)

Preparation

1. Preparation for caramelized ingredients and set in tray. (caramelized will do after we finish fry dough)

Toast Black pepper corns before coarsely pound.

Coarsely pound with pestle and mortar

Grated coconut palm sugar

Caramel sauce ingredients: press garlic, chopped coriander stems and black pepper

press garlic

Corn syrup

2. Make dough by our hand: Sift the all purpose flour into mixing bowl add baking powder to combine and make a well in middle. Use 4 eggs and beaten with coconut cream + water then pour into the well of flour. Knead by hand until dough became smooth for about 15 minutes. The dough is quite sticky.

Home made coconut cream

colander to strain coconut pulp

Use only 146 ml of fresh coconut cream

A mixing bowl place flour and make a well

Use 4 eggs

Pour coconut cream

mix eggs with coconut cream

then pour into a well

knead by hand for about 15 minutes

3.  Make seashells with wood pattern : Shape to a small and round ball estimated 5 -7 mm diameter.  Use two fingers (Index and middle finger) to roll a ball to get round shape on a cooking board. Prepare tapioca flour or corn flour to dust a small ball to not stick together. Put a ball on the wood in the position near the edge of the wood pattern and use your thumb to slide toward. Try to make it thin and curl. If you are new to do this seashell practice a little more.

wood pattern to create seashell

tapioca flour or corn flour to dust

use two finger to roll the ball

the size of the ball is estimated 5-6 mm

Use a thumb touch a few corn flour before press

dust with light corn flour

This is another flat shape

4. Deep-fry seashells  Use medium heat and deep fry 2 times. (up to 3 times)   If fry only 1 time is the shell will not crunchy. (This remind me about how to cook Belgian french fries). First time deep fry until the seashell turn to volume the size and still in light colour, transfer to paper towel.  After finish all seashells then fry a second time until the colour turn golden brown. You can taste a  bite when it cool and the seashell is crunchy but not hard.

This feature to compare before and after deep fry shells

First time deep fry and rest

second time deep fry to get the golden brown colour and crispy

two trays of golden shells

5. Making caramelized sauce: Use medium heat, Add cooking oil to a sauce pan then add thin slices coriander stem,  black pepper and garlic to fry until fragrant. Then add coconut palm sugar, fish sauce and water, continue to stir. At this point you can see small bubble of palm sugar is continue to reduction. Let it simmer until it start to thick then add corn syrup.  Adjust the heat to simmer and continue stir until the sauce turn caramel stage.

You can also do a taste by drop small amount of caramel to a cup of water if it’s ready so the drop will not dissolve with water. At this point is a bit hurry up before the caramelized set hard.  Transfer ‘crunchy shell’ to toast ‘gentle’ or the fried dough will  break.

6. Toss caramelized gently on to golden seashells, then transfer the coated shell in a tray. So that seashells will not stick together. Let the caramel set and dry and then ready to be keep or pack.

Important Note:

• The size is important, so when fry it cook at the same time.
• Dust too much of tapioca flour or corn flour when shape, Resulted when frying shells will not get curl.
• Press thin to get better crunchy golden shell.
• Where to get wood pattern to press seashells? Some Italian shops available or basic use a fork 
• Deep fry  2 times for crunchy seashells
• The taste is balance of sweet and salt. Taste a spiciness from crush black pepper. 
• Left over coconut cream+milk is perfect that can make a bowl of soup like Tom Kha. (salmon, cabbage or something you like)
• This snack is nice to pack and give away to friends you love. Some people may think is snacks is strange that called Thai cookies.

Presentation

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