Golden Cup – กระทงทอง
Golden cup – Krathong Tong – is a classic Thai dish served as an appetizer or snack. I learned how to make golden cups when I had my first kitchen and was taking professional culinary classes. Making the filling is quite easy. The hard part is making the golden cup. It requires a perfect dough recipe, a flower mold and deep-frying. When I saw a few ready-made pastry cups, I decided to use them to make a quick and easy appetizer for a new year’s party. After all I was looking for some auspicious dishes to share with my Thai friends at our new year’s day gathering to wish for a prosperous and healthy year – Sawasdee Pee mai – สวัสดีปีใหม่.
Golden Cups – กระทงทอง
Before you start to prepare this appetizer, you will have to decide what to use for the golden cup. The traditional Thai method would be to prepare the cup from scratch by deep-frying the dough, but today there are many options that can be easier and healthier as well. I happened to find these golden pastry cups at Pasta & Co. during the pre-holiday season.
Pastry cups
If these pastry cups are not available, I typically use a wonton sheet, brushing it well with cooking oil and then placing it in a small muffin pan, arranging the sheets to fit in the pan in cup-like shape. Then I bake it until it becomes golden and crispy. If you wish to make a traditional golden cup, give this video a try.
Krathong Tong Filling
I give a local twist to a traditional filling for Krathong Tong
Starting at 6 o’clock and moving clockwise, add ground turkey, diced sweet petite pepper, diced celery, diced apple, black pepper and garlic, and cilantro. Place soy sauce in the center.
Place ground turkey and seasoning in a pan
Heat a wok on a high heat and pour in a high-heat cooking oil such as peanut oil or canola oil. Stir-fry ground meat with Thai basic seasoning paste – Kratiem Prik Thai – until it is fragrant almost cooked through, about one minute.
Ground chicken, celery, sweet pepper and apple
Stir in diced celery, sweet pepper and apple, and cook until the pork is no longer pink, about three minutes. After this is done, set it aside.
Prepare garnish of sliced sweet petite pepper and cilantro leaf
While waiting for the filling to cool down, prepare the garnish. To prepare the garnish we will use 24 mini bell pepper rings and 24 cilantro leaves with about an inch and a half of the stem attached.
Place the filling in the golden cups
Before serving, spoon the filling into the cups.
Garnish with cilantro and sweet pepper
Golden Cup – Kratong Tong – กระทงทอง
There are many options for the types of vegetables to cook in the filling; peas and corn kernels is one combination. For the meat, you can use pork and prawns or any minced meat combined with minced prawns. The most important part of this recipe is the Thai basic seasoning paste which is fundamental to all Thai appetizers and an authentic flavor profile.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
24 golden cups
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 cilantro root or 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro stems
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup ground turkey, chicken or pork
1/4 cup diced sweet pepper
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced apple
Optional: 24 mini bell pepper ring and 24 cilantro leaves for garnish
To make basic Thai basic seasoning paste – Kratiem Prik Thai, place garlic, black pepper and cilantro root or stem in a mortar with pestle and pound until it becomes a fine paste. Gently stir in soy sauce and salt.
Heat a wok on a high heat and pour in a high-heat cooking oil such as peanut oil or canola oil. Stir-fry ground meat with Thai basic seasoning paste until it is fragrant and almost cooked through—about one minute.
Stir in diced celery, sweet pepper and apple and continue until the pork is cooked—about three minutes. Set aside.
While waiting for the filling to cool down, prepare garnish with 24 mini bell pepper rings and 24 cilantro leaves with some stem attached.
Before serving, spoon the filling into the cups and garnish with cilantro and sweet pepper.
Vegetarian Variation:
Substitute 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms for 1 cup ground turkey.
Pranee's Thai Kitchen 