Apple Fritters in the Style of Thai Fried Bananas

This was done out of curiosity, in response to a hypothetical question which I posed to myself one day: had apples been as easy to find and inexpensive as bananas in Thailand, would we batter-fry them like we do bananas? After this experiment, I would say yes.

To make these, you can follow either one of these recipes: Thai fried bananas (กล้วยทอด) or Thai fried sweet potatoes (มันทอด), replacing the bananas and sweet potatoes respectively with the same amount of apples (cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick crosswise). The latter is a bit less complicated than the former, but both yield great results.

I highly recommend that you dehydrate the apple rings before frying them by arranging them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and leaving them in a 110°-120°F oven for 2-3 hours, flipping them over once at the half-way point. This step is not necessary, but it will result in apple fritters with firmer texture that also stay crispy much longer. Don't worry so much about the apples turning a little bit brown; they'll be covered in batter anyway.

Depending on the type(s) of apple you use, you may or may not need to serve these fritters with a drizzling sauce. I made these with Gala apples and found the level of sweetness to be perfectly fine. But if you like a sauce to go with the apple fritters, I recommend either honey or the panela-coconut sauce which I use on Thai-style pressed grilled bananas.

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Naem Khao Tod (แหนมข้าวทอด) by Spoon Thai Restaurant, Chicago

When I was talking to Khun Wanna, owner of Spoon Thai restaurant in Chicago, my main objective was to get from her the recipe for (Yam) Naem Khao Tod ^[1] which apparently is a favorite among hard-core Thai food lovers in Chicago many of whom gather virtually to express their love for this restaurant and this dish on LTHForum. Well, that objective was achieved.

But my conversation with Khun Wanna also touched on many issues pertinent to Thai food as found in the US, how a restaurant must walk the delicate line between serving food that we Thais consider good and food that will appeal to the non-Thai palate and ensure profitability, etc. It was very interesting and made me think about things. However, to relay all that to you in this post will only detract from the attention which this unique salad so richly deserves. Therefore, I'll keep all that for a later time.

This post is dedicated to my awesome readers in Chicago and Michael, one of my readers, who has been asking for this recipe for a long time.

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Turmeric-Roasted Red Snapper (ปลากะพงอบขมิ้น)

A friend called to tell me he'd come by to deliver something. Seeing as it was close to dinner time, I asked if he'd care to stay for some food. The invitation was bashfully and promptly declined. He didn't want to impose. He would, I was assured, drop off a package and, having an important event to attend right after, skedaddle.

Moments later, the door bell rang as dinner was nearing completion. As it turned out, a few whiffs of an herb-laced fish roasting in the oven were all it took to derail someone's plan. The visitor didn't leave until this fish you see on the screen was stripped of its succulent flesh down to the bones.

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Pick Your Own Apples at Kuipers Family Farm (and a Recipe for Apple Butter Bars)

“Do you know what your problem is? ” Steve Martin’s Ohioan character in the 1999 remake of The Out-of-Towners asks a group of advertising executives in New York City struggling to come up with a slogan for tourism. Then he answers his own question, “You live here – you’re jaded.”

Yes, jadedness happens. After years of living in the United States, I can attest to that kind of apathy. What once made me go wild with excitement doesn't do that so much anymore. And while love and gratitude for my host country can only deepen, the initial sense of awe and newness inevitably wanes over time.

Yet, there are certain things that have never lost their grip on me. That first, fleeting glimpse of the cluster of buildings that is caught the very second you get off Lake Shore Drive onto North Michigan Avenue in Chicago is one of those things. I can’t explain to you why the sight never fails to give me that hey-you're-in-the-USA! feeling even though I have seen that thousands of times.

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Nam-Pla Wan - Thai Sweet and Salty Fruit Dipping Sauce (น้ำปลาหวาน)

When it comes to combining sweet and salty, the Thai people are second to none. We're just really good at it. Watermelon and dried fish? Check. Sweet custard with fried shallots? Check. Garlicky, shrimpy, spicy fruit salad? Yup. Mangoes -- apples in this case -- with a dipping sauce containing shrimp paste, fish sauce, and dried shrimp? A national favorite.

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Spicy Green Apple Salad (ยำแอปเปิ้ล)

I made this impromptu salad the other day as the topping for a piece of pan-fried halibut. It was nothing special -- just a simple salad that is normally made with grated green mangoes. Actually, I think I've come to like this version made with tart and crisp Granny Smith apples much more.

It's the crunch. I like the crunch.

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