New! Crispy Thai Chive Pancake (Gui chai Tod) view recipe

Crispy Thai Chive Pancake (Gui chai Tod)

Crispy Thai chive pancakes (Gui chai Tod) are my favourite appetizer from Thai restaurants. They are very green, with a punchy, heady perfume from the garlic chives. To me, they are texturally perfect, with an exterior is crispy and golden, while the inside is bouncy. This recipe is a bit of a project - all the steps are quite simple but it does take some time. A fun one if you want to try something new and learn a lot at the same time.

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A white bowl containing several pieces of fried food next to a small glass container of dark dipping sauce, placed on a light-colored surface. - Hetty Lui McKinnon

This is a several step recipe. The chives are first marinated to tenderise them. Then a batter is made and then mixed with the softened chives. Next, the mixture is steamed to make a ‘cake’, which is then cut into pieces and fried. It takes a little time, but it is actually quite simple if you take it one task at a time. And the results are worth it. It is a recipe that will make you feel like an excellent cook.

Garlic chives are often hard to come by. In the summer, look for them from local greenmarkets. You can also find them at Asian supermarkets. This is one of those recipes that I will only make whenever I come across garlic chives.

Crispy Thai chive pancakes (Gui chai Tod)

Serves

Ingredients

250 g garlic chives
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
sea salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1 tablespoon neutral oil such as vegetable, plus more for frying
1 garlic clove grated
150 g tapioca starch
50 g rice flour (preferably fine, I use Erawan brand)

Dipping sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce or kecap manis

Instructions

Wash the garlic chives well. Drain and then place them onto a clean towel, fold the towel over and roll them around to dry them very well. If you have a salad spinner, use that to dry it. Line the garlic chives up and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.
Transfer the garlic chives to a large bowl and add the sugar, soy sauce or tamari, 1 teaspoon of salt, a big pinch of black pepper, baking soda, oil and garlic. Toss to combine well and leave to marinate for 15 minutes, until the chives look wilted and have released some moisture.
Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce by combining the maple syrup, soy sauce or tamari, vinegar and dark soy sauce or kecap manis.
Grease an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set up a pot with a trivet or a steaming basket. Add 2 to 4 cups of water (make sure it is underneath the top of the trivet or doesn’t touch the bottom of the basket) and bring to the boil.
In a medium pot, add the tapioca starch and rice flour. Place on low heat and then slowly whisk in 1 cup of water. Cook, whisking often, until the mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. It should look thick like sour cream; do not overcook as it will become too thick to incorporate the garlic chives. Immediately remove from the heat.
Stir in the tenderised garlic chives and combine well. Transfer this batter into the prepared cake pan. Cover with foil. Place it onto the trivet or into the steaming basket and, with the water rapidly boiling, steam until the starch turns from white to translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to add more water during this steaming process, don’t let the pot dry out.
Once the pancakes is ready, carefully remove from the steamer. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes (you can also store in the fridge for up to a week before frying).
Remove from the pan, place the pancake onto a cutting board, and cut into 1 to 3cm (1-inch) pieces (a serrated bread knife makes slicing easier).
Place about 1 to 3cm (1-inch) of neutral oil into a small pot, frypan (skillet) or wok. Heat the oil. Insert a wooden spoon or chopsticks into the oil and if it sizzles, the oil is hot enough. Working in batches, add the chive pancakes and fry until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes on each side. Place the fried pancakes onto a paper lined plate or tray and continue cooking the pancakes.
Serve the chive pancakes warm, with the dipping sauce.