We got a new fairy tale book from Usbourne this week and it included an adaptation of a traditional Chinese story of the magic paintbrush.

S wanted to make dragons and I suggested we make pearl and jade dragons to match those in the story.

I learnt that a tradition to celebrate Chinese New year is to make dumpings together as a family. I liked this idea and thought we could make Thai golden bags or Tung Tong together. I learnt this recipe at a cooking class we took in Bangkok on honeymoon. If you’re ever in Bangkok I can highly recommend Angsana, it was great to learn in a home kitchen and we got a great tour of the local market too!

Thai Golden Bags (recipe is adapted from Angsana’s)

• 50g minced pork
• 15 king prawns, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped very finely
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• Pinch of pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander (I include the stalks and leaves)
• 1/4 cup sweet corn
• Wonton wrappers 

1. Mix all the ingredients apart from the wonton wrappers.
2.  Put 1tsp of mixture into each wrapper and squeeze to seal. (A and Mr S did a great job!) 
3. Heat oil on high heat in a pan and place ~6 bags at a time to fry. Turn down the heat to medium as they cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.

S got bored of colouring after a bit, but we cut out the dragons and added sticks. The golden bags were served with sweet chilli sauce and fried rice. 

We had a pretty good Saturday, despite the horrid weather keeping us inside!