Pa thong ko
Photo: User:Mattes · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Pa thong ko are the Chinese fried dough sticks found across Thailand, and in Phuket's Hokkien towns they are a dawn ritual. Stalls start frying at dawn and are done by mid-morning, with the sticks eaten plain, dipped in sweet sauces or alongside soft steamed salapao buns. At a Bib Gourmand stall in Wichit, just outside Phuket Town, customers line up from 6am for sticks and salapao fried fresh each morning.

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Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Makes 12Hands-on 30 minTotal 8 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 150ml water
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Oil for deep-frying

Method

  1. Mix the dry ingredients, then add the egg, water and oil and knead briefly to a soft dough.
  2. Coat with oil, cover and rest in the fridge overnight, or at least 6 hours.
  3. Bring to room temperature, roll to a strip 1cm thick and cut into 2cm by 8cm pieces.
  4. Stack two pieces and press lengthways with a chopstick to join them.
  5. Heat the oil to 190C and fry each pair, turning constantly, for 2 minutes until puffed and golden.
  6. Drain and serve warm with condensed milk or a sweet dip.

Tip from the editors. Keep the oil hot and turn the sticks constantly as they go in; that is what makes them puff and stay hollow.

Where to eat pa thong ko

Pa thong ko in Phuket

Pathongko Mae Pranee ★ 4.1

฿ Street foodWichit

Pathongko Mae Pranee deep-fries dough sticks and salapao from 6am on Wirat Hong Yok 3 Road in Phuket, a Bib Gourmand queue for early risers.

TryPa thong ko (fried dough sticks) and salapao

TipGet there by 07:00; the deep-fried dough sticks and salapao are gone within a few hours of opening.

Directions

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