Golden Baskets - Thai Inspired Appetizers

Appetizers like these are usually called with different names from one Thai restaurant to another. My favorite one calls them golden baskets. I made some with the same name only and the rest is my own version. You can make them too with your own preferred ingredients. Here is how you can make them.

You will need 1/2 a cup of ground shrimps and 1/2 cup of ground chicken breast. Mix a sprig of minced cilantro and 2 scallion,white part only. Then season lightly with salt and white pepper. Wilt the leaves of six scallions for 1 minute in the microwave oven. Cut a 4 square inch feuille de brik or a good quality spring roll wrapper, about 24 pieces. Now put 1/3 of a teaspoon of the ground filling in the center of the brik and gather the four corners and press with fingers over the filling to make a purse or basket and tie it with the wilted scallion leaf.

Deep fry them in any light vegetable oil like canola until golden. I use a small saucepan that I fill with 2 cups of oil so as not to waste too much oil and they fry very well in it. When done put on paper towels to drain excess oil. Surprisingly they don't absorb too much oil.

Now make the sweet and sour sauce for the dip.

For the sauce mince one sweet pepper, grate garlic and juice a knob of ginger. Mucovado sugar for sweetness and red wine vinegar for sour. The quantity of seasoning depends on everyones taste. Boil with 1 1/2 cup of water until the soft and sauce consistency. Always taste and correct if necessary. Thicken with a teaspoon of cornstarch if too runny.

Add a pinch of cayenne pepper powder too if you want. Here is for an individual serving or for a couple of guests.

Enjoy!