When friends travel afar and ask if you would like them to bring back something for you, what do you say? I suppose it would depend on where they were going. Leather goods from Florence? A brass lantern from Marrakech? Maple syrup from Vermont? Foie gras from Paris?
For me, if asked, I always suggest something small for the kitchen. Spices. A tea towel. Tiny spoons or spreading knives. Regional recipes, or a cookbook. Or even a scrap of fabric that could be uses as a background here on Cocoa & Lavender.
When our friends Kate and Kate traveled recently to Thailand to so some research (Remember traveling? Leaving the house?), they asked what I would like and I responded with the list I just shared.
What traveled back was no scrap of fabric… but rather a stunning, royal purple and gold table runner, with elephants that ensure I will never forget their kindness. This beautiful gift inspired this week’s post—an easy way to visit Thailand without leaving the house.
~ David
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon Madeira
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 egg white
- 4 slices large sandwich bread (if sandwich bread is small, use 8 slices)
- 5 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- canola oil, for frying
- sweet chile sauce, for serving (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Purée shrimp, vermouth, soy sauce, and cornstarch in the food processor. Transfer to a bowl.
- Beat egg white until stiff, then gently fold into the shrimp mixture.
- Remove crust from the bread and trim into a square. Cut the squares diagonally in both directions to make triangles. (If bread is small, cut just once.)
- Mix the two sesame seeds (one color is fine if you don’t have both) and spread on a shallow plate. Spread the shrimp paste on one side of each bread triangle, the press that side into the sesame seeds to make the seeds adhere.
- Heat oil in a shallow skillet to about 360°F. Use one of the bread crusts to see if it is ready—it will brown very quickly (less than a minute). Start by frying the toasts sesame seeds side down. When rich and golden, turn and fry the other side till golden; the second side will cook extremely fast so keep an eye on it. Handle gently with tongs or two spatulas to turn them swiftly. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve hot with a small bowl of sweet chile sauce for dipping.
- Makes 16 toasts.
- ______________________
- Thai Sweet Chile Sauce
- • 2 red chiles (ripe jalapeno or Holland)
- • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- • 1/2 cup white sugar plus 2 tablespoons
- • 1/4 cup water
- • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- • 2 tablespoons mirin
- • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- • 3 tablespoons cool water
- Using a mandolin at its thinnest setting, slice chiles into paper-thin rounds into a saucepan. Add vinegar, sugar, 1/4 cup water, fish sauce, and mirin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and boil gently for 10-15 minutes, until reduced by half.
- Separately mix the cornstarch and remaining water with one another to make a slurry. Add this slurry to the chile mixture and continue to boil gently, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes—or until sauce thickens. (It will thicken more as it cools.)
- Makes about 1 cup.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Shrimp Toasts recipe adapted from Thai, The Essence of Asian Cooking by Becky Johnson
John / Kitchen Riffs
August 29, 2020 at 8:12 amI remember leaving the house! Vaguely. I think I’m going feral . . . Anyway, such a nice dish. Jalapeno chilies for me, please — just love their flavor, and always have some in my refrigerator. And I can never resist anything with shrimp. Terrific recipe. Oh, and great background. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
August 29, 2020 at 8:48 amYeah, it is pretty vague, John… I can’t tell you how excited I was to go get my flu and shingles vaccines the other day. Regardless of how much they hurt, I got to see “real” people!
Glad you like the recipes. Just got a half pound of jalapenos from the market. Poppors on the way!
Christina Conte
August 29, 2020 at 8:21 amWhat a unique recipe! Absolutely love the elephant fabric, I have a similar green one a friend gave me, too! The best gifts, especially for us! 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
August 29, 2020 at 8:49 amGifts like this are really fun, especially when you can give a little shout out to a friend who has been so kind… And the recipe is very fun… I think you would like it!
2pots2cook
August 29, 2020 at 9:25 amYou listed all the souvenirs I hope to get when someone travels. Anything for our kitchen, please 🙂 I love everything about your today’s dish : perfect week end lunch and some leftovers for afternoon snack !
Cocoa & Lavender
August 29, 2020 at 10:17 amAnd those souvenirs brought back? Always some of my favorites, Davorka. We thought the same thing about leftovers for snacks… and then we ate them all! Oops. 🙂
Gerlinde
August 29, 2020 at 12:55 pmThose toasts look fantastic David. We had to get away from the fires and I packed some stuff just in case the fire reached our house. It’s interesting what we call essential. I packed several scarves (they give me comfort) and my passport . One of the scarves looks like your fabric.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:51 amWe were in a similar place this summer, Gerlinde – fires in the mountain just above our neighborhood. We were packed and ready to go… and what we found “essential” was interesting, too. Small pieces of art, family mementos and photos headed our list… and, of course, if we can ever use them again, our passports.
Gloria Roa Baker
August 29, 2020 at 4:15 pmI told you I find these toasts awesome and I love to different spices and things of others places , love these pictures David looks awesome !! xo
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:52 amThanks, Gloria – we love “eating around the world!”
Gloria Roa Baker
August 29, 2020 at 4:16 pmAbout this I was thinking my mom and dad always arrived with souvenirs from different travels, and always fun! We loved when they travelled ! what nice memories !
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:52 amThe mementos we get from family and friends are so comforting, aren’t they?
Eha Carr
August 29, 2020 at 6:10 pmThank you for taking me to one of my favourite countries in the world. I was incredibly lucky to make lifelong friends with the Estonian-born wife of the English Head of UNICEF for SE Asia for a couple of decades on our first trip there, Methinks you realize the privileges attendant . . . including knowing HRH Queen Sirikit and her Court. Prawn toasts . . . LOVE them and still make . . . shall certainly copy yours as white bread and madeira have not been in use and I actually usually chop my prawns very finely . . . lovely to try it differently ! And you did receive a gift to hold dear . . . best . . .
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:54 amWhat a fantastic friendship to have had… A friend commented that he never saw these in restaurants in Thailand… perhaps they are home-cooked items? Do you know?
Eha Carr
September 1, 2020 at 5:24 pmDavid, I had not thought about where I first tasted such . . . No, probably have not had them in restaurants tho’ Vaike’s cooks did serve the toasts for snacks. I did have the chance to take part of weekend ‘Royal Thai’ cooking classes in Bangkok on quite a few occasions . . . besides endless carving of fruit and vegetables as decorations probably was taught about the dish first there . . . ?
Cocoa & Lavender
September 2, 2020 at 11:31 amHow lucky to take that cooking course! If I get to the bottom of this, I will let you know!
Frank Fariello
August 30, 2020 at 7:17 amThat fabric is gorgeous, and so is the shrimp toast. I’m a real sucker for shrimp toast but never had it quite like this. And I’ve never attempted to make it myself. Will give it a try one day when I’m feeling adventurous.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:54 amI don’t fry a lot, Frank, so this was a special treat for us. I hope you give them a try.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
August 30, 2020 at 8:50 amThese look so crunchy and good. I have all the ingredients except the Madeira, I’ll just leave it out.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:55 amYou could use white wine or vermouth or sherry, Karen – or leave it out. It does lend a nice flavor, though.
Carolyne
August 30, 2020 at 10:13 amSimply stunning and delicious!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:55 amThanks, my friend – a special treat for our birthday!
sherry
August 30, 2020 at 8:02 pmthat table runner is just so beautiful david. i have friends who bring back such things for me too. lovely of them. and i love the prawn (shrimp) toasts. very delish!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:56 amIt is a gorgeous runner – and I feel so fortunate! Glad to know you get shrimp toasts once in a while!
Qashang
August 31, 2020 at 2:04 amYumm! Love these Thai shrimp toasts.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:57 amThanks, Qashang! Glad you stopped by!
sippitysup
August 31, 2020 at 8:54 amCan toast be an introduction to the world? Back in the 80s when Thai food was new to me these big flavor toasts were one of my introductions to the cuisine. I always thought I’d like to go to Thailand but still haven’t done it. GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2020 at 9:58 amIt is certainly on our list of places to go, Greg – and maybe someday we will get there… In the meantime, the cuisine will need to be our transport device.
Raymund
September 1, 2020 at 12:48 pmFoie gras from Paris, I hope I can do that here in NZ, customs are quite strict here with food and plants. I remember I brought home a Pork Jerky called Bakwa from Macau and it ended up at the airport bin as its not allowed in. Anyways that Shimp toast looks perfect, one of my favourite dishes, it looks like it came out directly from Thailand specially with those table runners which I think I also have one 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
September 2, 2020 at 11:30 amYes, restrictions for bringing foods can be pretty strict here, too… sometimes, even from one state to another!
Glad you like the shrimp toasts, Raymund!
Valentina
September 2, 2020 at 5:55 pmBeautiful table runner and I love what it inspired. I think that’ll be a new theme in my house (or kitchen) . . . bringing in the places I wish I could travel to via food.
I’ve never made shrimp toast but love it. I’m going to try it. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
September 2, 2020 at 10:40 pmAs it is our only mode of “travel” these days, we might as well make the best of it, right?
Rahul
September 2, 2020 at 11:37 pmI dont know why I never thought of making a shrimp toast. I mean we have egg toast or a salmon avocado toast for breakfast. Thanks for sharing the idea David. Oh and Thailand is truly beautiful. Me and my family had planned to visit it on our last trip to India but had to cancel it. The table runner is very beautiful. Loved the bright purple color .
Cocoa & Lavender
September 7, 2020 at 7:14 amI would love to visit Thailand (and India!) someday, Rahul.
All That I'm Eating
September 3, 2020 at 12:52 amIt’s beautiful David. And what a lovely dish to cook and enjoy with the runner. What lovely friends.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 7, 2020 at 7:14 amThanks, Caroline!
Ron
September 3, 2020 at 3:16 amDavid, what a wonderful gift from Kate and Kate. I love the colors of the table runner. Thailand is a part of Asia that I have not visited but hope to one day.
I’ve not had this version of shrimp toast, but I have had the Chinese version. It was one of my favorite dim sum dishes, but they didn’t have sesame seeds on them. I’ve never made shrimp toast, but the looks of your version have inspired me to give it a try.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 7, 2020 at 7:16 amThey are pretty easy to make, Ron — and once they start frying, they go very quickly!
Pauline
September 3, 2020 at 4:47 amGreat recipe, and the sauce has my mouth watering. I’ve never made these toasts and you make it look so simple. I enjoy them at restaurants.What a lovely runner and makes a beautiful background. Such a thoughtful gift. Keep well, Pauline
Cocoa & Lavender
September 7, 2020 at 7:17 amThanks Pauline, until this, I had only had them in restaurants, as well. Take care, David
Jean | Delightful Repast
September 3, 2020 at 7:12 amDavid, I came for the beautiful table runner (and other “props” in your gorgeous photos) but stayed for the recipe! This is THE most appealing shrimp recipe I’ve seen in a very long time. First post-pandemic party, these are on the menu along with my tomato tart squares and something with mushrooms.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 7, 2020 at 7:17 amThis is perfect post pandemic prawnery. Jean!
Sonia Mangla
September 3, 2020 at 2:29 pmDavid, That’s a beautiful gift and a beautifully written post with a great recipe!
Loved the addition of seeds on the top! Thanks for sharing!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 7, 2020 at 7:18 amThanks, Sonia – the seeds add such a nice crunch.
Olivia Ava
September 4, 2020 at 11:16 amThis recipe looks so yummy and tasty. Thanks for sharing all of your helpful advice and instructions.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 7, 2020 at 7:18 amYou are most welcome, Olivia.
John
September 6, 2020 at 2:37 pmI haven’t eaten prawn toast for at least two decades, maybe even longer. What a classic! Although, this one is a lot fancier than the plain, oily ones I remember. Madeira – yes please!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 7, 2020 at 7:19 amYou know, John, it has probably been closer to four decades for me! Better late than never.
Becky Blackhall
September 12, 2020 at 9:16 amLOVE IT! (All of it: the gift idea, the pattern, and the LSU purple and gold color combo. ;p Apologies – couldn’t help myself.)
David Scott Allen
September 13, 2020 at 2:01 pmOf course the purple and gold was for LSU… of course! 🙂
Joe Fish
September 18, 2020 at 10:44 amSpectacular recipe (and runner). Contemporary but still brought back the 80’s! Can’t wait to try it, thank you!
David Scott Allen
September 18, 2020 at 10:41 pmI’ve been in an 80s kind of mood lately, Joe. Not a bad place to be! Thanks for your comment.
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
September 27, 2020 at 7:15 pmHow fun on the table runner–and what a great dish it inspired! Yes, I am big on collecting tea towels for photos!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 28, 2020 at 9:16 amTea towels are so useful, and so many times, they are some of the more beautiful linens in my cabinet.