Thai Golden Bags with Green Curry

One of my favorite parts of my recent trip to Thailand was the cooking class. I learned so much about Thai food and culture and came away with some great recipes. One of things that we learned to cook was Toong Tong or golden bags. As implied by the name, toong tong are filled spring roll paper pouches, deep fried until they are golden brown. This recipe is a version of what we made in Thailand, modified to be vegan and use ingredients that can be easily found here. You could also substitute in other vegetables. 

Making the bags takes a little practice. Start by preparing your spring roll paper and “string” to tie the bags. Try to find the larger spring roll paper sheets, but if only the small ones are available those will work too (like in my pictures here). To make them fold prettier, you can cut off the corners of the sheets to make them round but it’s not necessary. Cut 1 inch squares out of extra paper to use to reinforce the bottom of the bags. For the “string” you will use green onions. Boil the dark green parts of a few green onions, one per two bags, for 30 seconds until they are flexible but not mushy. Tear each green onion in half lengthwise, or even into three pieces for bigger ones.

There are two ways to fold the bags, an easy way and a fancy way. They both start with placing one of the squares you cut in the center of a full sheet of spring roll paper and putting a scoop of the filling on top. Use about half a tablespoon for the small sheets and a tablespoon for the large ones. Fold the paper in half and pinch it together around the filling to create a sealed pocket.

To fold them the easy way, gather up all of the paper into a bunch in the middle, wrap a green onion strand twice around it, and tie a loose knot. For the fancy method, start in the center and work outward in one direction, folding the paper like an accordion. After finishing one side, hold it to the center and do the same on the other side. Once folded, wrap a green onion twice around it and tie a loose knot.

This recipe will make 6 to 10 bags, depending on how full you fill them. Avoid overfilling or the paper may rip.

Print Recipe

Thai Golden Bags with Green Curry

Servings

bags

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup minced oyser mushrooms
• 1/3 cup minced jackfruit (I use canned)
• 20 g whole garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp green curry paste (1 teaspoon for less spice)
• 2 tsp tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Servings bags Ingredients 3/4 cup minced oyser mushrooms 1/3 cup minced jackfruit (I use canned) 20 g whole garlic cloves 1/2 tsp white pepper 2 tsp green curry paste (1 teaspoon for less spice) 2 tsp tapioca flour 1/2 tsp soy sauce 1/2 tsp sugar

Instructions

1. In a mortar, grind together the garlic and white pepper until it forms a smooth paste. In a large bowl combine the mushrooms and jackfruit. Fold in the green curry paste and the garlic paste. Add the tapioca flour and stir until smooth. Mix the soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl then add to the mushroom mixture. Stir until everything is well combined.
2. Assemble the bags as described above. While you are folding the bags start heating the oil. Use an oil with a high smoke point such as sunflower seed oil or grape seed oil. Fill a pot with enough oil to submerge the bags. Heat the oil to 350°F. Temperature is important. Too hot will burn the bags and too cool will make them soggy.
3. Place several bags in the preheated oil. Do not put too many in the pot or it will lower the temperature of the oil too much. Stay clear of the pot while frying as the moisture in the green onions will cause the oil to pop. Fry until the paper is golden brown. Remove the bags and place on a plate with paper towel to soak up the oil. Check the oil temperature before starting another batch. Repeat until all of the bags are fried.