Foi Thong - Golden Threads

ฝอยทอง foi tong

It is not often that I get a chance to see Thai desserts being made in person. So, I was particularly thrilled at the weekend to see some demonstrations of how to make a few of my favourite Thai sweets. The one I want to show you today is called Golden Threads, or foi thong in Thai. It is not strictly speaking a Thai dessert as it was believed to have been introduced by the Portuguese over 400 years ago. However, the Thai have made it their own now. The basic ingredient is egg yolk which is gently cooked in a syrup of water and sugar.

It all looks quite easy to make but I am sure you need to practice a lot to get it just right. First the eggs are separated and then the yolks are beaten in a bowl. This is then placed in the refrigerator until it is needed. A syrup is then made with a mixture of sugar and perfumed water. This is done in a large wok. The egg yolks are then put into a funnel with two small holes at the bottom. This is then swung above the wok in a circular motion.

As soon as the egg yolk hits the hot syrup it starts to cook. It only takes about 1 minute before it is ready. The lady then used a knife to cut the strands in four places. She then used what looked like knitting needles to collect these threads. She then dipped them into another syrup solution which gave it a gleam and then placed it on the tray. A very interesting dessert indeed.

Ginger Soup (บัวลอยน้ำขิง-Tao Huay Nam Khing)

Ingredients
500 g of soybean
12 cups of water
2 tablespoons of Calcium Sulfate
4 tablespoons of tapioca flour
1 kg of old ginger

Method
1. Soak soybean in hot water about 1-3 hours or until it inflate.
2. Take all crust and clean soybean.
3. Blend soybean, while blend add water little by little. Then filter with white and thin fabric.
4. Put soymilk on fire, always stir it. If boil put it down from fire.
5. Burn calcium sulfate then pestle it. Sift it one time before use.
6. Mix tapioca flour with calcium sulfate and water 1/4 cup to pot which you let soymilk hard.
7. Strongly pour soymilk to pot (ingredient no.6) and do not stir it. Let it hard without move or shake.

Method for making ginger soup
Clean ginger and pound it lightly, add it to water and boil it.

Klouy Buaod Chee (กล้วยบวชชี-Bananas in Coconut Milk)

Ingredients :

· 2 cups coconut milk
· 1/4 cup sugar
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 4 medium-ripe bananas, peeled, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

(Measurement Guides)

Cooking Procedures :

1. Combined coconut milk, sugar and salt in a 1-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to boil.
3. Then add bananas, reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes or until bananas are partially softened.
4. Cool to room temperature.
5. Serve bananas in bowls with the sauce.
6. Makes 6 Servings.

This dessert is as good as it is easy.

Khanom chun - layered dessert

ขนมชั้นka-nom chan

The other day, I was having a conversation with one of the teachers in the lift. As usual, she had bought some Thai desserts from the market to share with her fellow teachers. She asked what my favourites were and I had to admit that I had only eaten a few. What sprang to mind, were the delicious desserts khanom mor gaeng and also the equally delicious khao nieow dtut. Now, most people at the school know I am writing Thai Food blogs, so she immediately volunteered to educate me in Thai desserts! And so today, she came up to me with a bag full of Thai desserts for me to photograph and taste! She explained which ones I had to eat straight away and which ones I could save for a later day by putting in the refrigerator. I can tell you, I was really stuffed today. But, it was a really good introduction.

Today I am going to introduce you to khanom chun, or layered dessert. It is named like this because it has nine layers. As you may know, this is an auspicious number. So, it is often used for important ceremonies such as job promotion (representing going up levels) and at weddings. In the above example, each layer is a shade of green. I have seen ones before where it was green/white stripes. If you have read my previous blog about khanom thuay you might be able to guess where the green comes from. Yes, it is from the pandanus leaf. You make the liquid by putting it in a blender and then straining it though muslin.

To make this dessert, mix the coconut milk and sugar. Bring to boil and then set aside. Mix the topioca flour with the plain flour and add coconut milk. Knead the mixture. Add the coconut milk and sugar which you had set aside. Now separate them into two containers. in one add the green water from the pandanus leaves. Leave the other white. (In the case above, some pandanus water was added to the coconut milk before boiling. Then later, more was added to the second container to make a darker shade of green.) Grease the mould with some coconut milk and then heat it in a steamer. First, add some of the white mixture and steam for 5–10 minutes. Then repeat this with the green mixture, white mixture etc. Finish with a green layer. Leave in the mould for 3–4 hours before removing it. Sounds quite labour intensive, especially as they only sell for 10 baht! The result is quite tasty. I would eat it again for sure.

Crispy Pancakes

ขนมเบื้อง khanom buang

This is a nice snack you often see being cooked by the side of the road. It is called khanom buang.It looks a bit like Mexican tacos but the taste is of course very different. The pictures here were taken near Paknam market.

It looks simple but I assure you that it is harder than it looks. First he spread a batter mix onto the hot plate. When this was just starting to set, he then spread on top a generous helping of coconut cream.

He then placed on top of this a variety of different toppings. One version has shredded coconut and golden threads. This is made from strips of egg yolk. It is the lighter orange mixture. Another version has shredded coconut and either coriander or chopped spring onions. In the photos you can see a darker orange mixture which is in fact shredded coconut with a colouring agent.

Try some the next time you are next in Thailand. They are very tasty.

Khanom La

ขนมลา khanom la

The temple fair is still continuing here in Samut Prakan. The weather has also been improving so I have been able to go out and get some good photographs. As people come from far and wide to sell their produce at the fair, this is actually a good opportunity to see food from other provinces. Today I want to introduce you to khanom la which is a famous product from Nakhon Si Thammarat. There are several versions of this sweet. One is flat and the other tube like.

I don’t have much information yet on the ingredients. One person suggested it contains rice flour, granulated sugar, plam sugar and egg yolk. Honey can also be used. Coconut oil is used for the wok. I will try and update this more later. As you can see from the above photo, the mixture is poured into a can with holes in it. This is then swung above a pre-heated wok in circle motions until a kind of spider’s web is weaved. Less than a minute later it is set hard and a kind of poker is then used to make the tube like end result. It was quite fascinating watching her do this. She was obviously very skilled as she did every step very quickly.

Nipa Palm Dessert

ขนมจากkhanom jaak

One of the famous desserts for Samut Prakan is Khanom Jaak. I quite often see them selling it down by the market near the jetty for the cross-river ferry. The dessert is prepared inside the leaves of a nipa palm and then roasted over a charcoal fire.

Like anything, there are local variations, but here is a recipe that I managed to get hold off from a local person:

Sticky rice flour (1.5 kilos)
Palm sugar (half a kilo)
2 Shredded coconuts
Salt (2 teaspoons)

As you can see from the pictures, the mixture is spooned onto the leaves of a nipa palm which is then joined together with toothpicks. It is then roasted over a charcoal fire.

A bundle of khanom jaak costs about 20 baht. Now you know what it is, try some the next time you are in Thailand.

Custard Pudding

ขนมหม้อแกง khanom mor gaeng

I seem to be in the habit of blogging about Thai food and saying things like, “Oh, this is my favourite curry” or “This is my favourite Thai dessert”. Well, today I want to show you khanom mor gaeng which is definitely in my top 10 for Thai desserts. Probably quite close to the top though it is a little on the sweet side. You can find this dessert around Thailand (we have it in Paknam market sometimes) but the authentic dish can only be bought in Phetchaburi. When people from Bangkok go down to the beach resorts at Cha-am or Hua Hin, they will nearly always stop at these large roadside food shops selling Thai desserts. Phetchaburi is famous for this dessert and others too. Everyone knows I like this dessert so I was pleasantly surprised this morning when our local samlor driver knocked on the door with two bags of Thai desserts. No, he hadn’t just been to Phetchaburi! Around here people use samlor and motorcycle taxi drivers as their personal messengers.

This dessert is a bit like our custard pudding. In fact, some people reckon that it was introduced to Thailand by Portuguese traders in the 18th century. Or, at least it was influenced by Western visitors. The main ingredients are duck eggs, mung beans and coconut milk. There are different variations, but I will give you the directions from one recipe I have here. Beat together 4 chicken eggs with 2 duck eggs. Add 1 cup of palm sugar and 1 cup of coconut cream. Use pandanus leaves to knead this mixture until the sugar dissolves. Strain through a cheesecloth and add either mashed taro or mung beans and mix well. Put the oil from fried shallots into a wok and add your mixture. Stir until it becomes thicker. Transfer to a baking tray and bake for about 30 minutes or until the custard is set and the top is a golden brown.

You must really try it. They do export it to Bangkok and you might find it in Chinatown and some department stores. It is VERY delicious.

Sticky Rice in Banana Leaves

ขนมเทียน khanom thian

I was hurriedly walking to school this morning in a very un-Thai manner. I could see it was about to rain again and I had neglected to bring my umbrella. I was so deep in thought about whether I would make it in time that I didn’t notice at first someone shouting out my name. “Ri-chaaard. Ri-chaaaard,” someone was shouting with the emphasis firmly on the second syllable. Had to be a Thai person. When I turned around I was surprised to be confronted with the sight of Wirat cycling towards me.

Now, my regular readers might remember this person as my local “khanom krok” lady. She is the one that never stopped talking and was always trying to be more than my friend. Bascially, her ex-husband had abandoned both her and her newborn child 15 years ago and now she wanted me to marry her. Of course I was flattered but then I later found out that she was proposing to just about anyone who would listen! Not that I minded my little chats with her. And, actually, I kind of missed her as she has not been selling khanom krok around here for several months now. We had all been wondering where she had got to. And then, here she was, cycling down Sukhumwit Road out of the blue.

Naturally, I shouted out to her “bai nai ma” meaning “where have you been?” She stopped and soon brought me up-to-date. She said that she had been disappointed with slow sales at the top of my soi so she now sells something different in Samrong! She then reached into a couple of large plastic bags and brought out some Thai desserts wrapped in banana leaves. “I now sell khanom thien” she told me. “Here, try some, no charge!” She then proceeded to give me two bags full of these desserts. In one bag she put a marker made from a sliver of banana leaf. She told me “This one sai-kem with the marker and the other sai-waang. You might find the sai-kem one a little spicy.” If you didn’t know, “kem” means salty and “waang” means sweet.

I thanked her and wished her good luck by saying ‘chok dee”. I made a mental note to try and find out where she had set up her new stall. Samrong is about 10-15 minutes away by car. At school I decided to give away some of the desserts to other teachers. There was too much for me to eat alone. And anyway, it is Thai custom to share food around like this. I soon discovered that Thai people prefer the salted version much more than the sweet one which surprised me. I always thought Thai people had a sweet tooth. But, after I tried it, I could see what they meant. I like the “sai-kem” one much better too.

My helpful teacher went on to say that you can tell the difference between them even before you unwrap them from the banana leaves. All you have to do is squeeze them slightly. The softer one is “sai-waang”. In the picture at the top, it is “sai-kem” on the left and “sai-waang” on the right. The common ingredients between these two are white sticky-rice flour, black sticky-rice flour, palm sugar and fragrant water.

The salted one then has: mung bean, chopped red onion, crushed pepper, sugar, salt and oil. The sweet one has: shredded coconut, and palm sugar. As you can see from the faded colour of the banana leaves in the picture, the final product is cooked in a steamer for about 15 minutes and served when cold. As far as I can understand, these desserts are Chinese in origin and are used in a festival to honour dead ancestors.

They certainly have an interesting taste. But to be honest, I really miss my fresh piping hot khanom krok. I think tomorrow I will walk down to Paknam market to see if I can find anyone selling this coconut pudding.

Bananas in Syrup

กล้วยเชื่อม gluay chuam

This popular Thai dessert is called gluay chuam ( กล้วยเชื่อม ). To be honest, I never really liked bananas back in the UK, but I do like them here in Thailand. In particular, I like the dessert bananas. However, this dish is strictly for the sweet-toothed people among us. The bananas are cooked in a syrup (sugar and water). Then they are topped with coconut cream.

Sticky Rice with Bananas

ข้าวต้มมัด khao tom mat

The other day, when I was with Steve and Jit, I watched some villagers making a large batch of khao tom mat. This is basically sticky rice, bananas and black beans wrapped in banana leaves. This is then steamed though it could also be grilled. You may remember me talking about khanom thian before which is quite similar. Though that one uses sticky rice flour instead.

To make khao tom mat you first dissolve some sugar and salt in a pan of coconut milk. You then add the sticky rice and stir slowly over a low heat until the liquid has dissolved. Next you need to tear up some banana leaves into lengths of about 8 inches long. Spread some of the sticky rice mixture in the middle and then place a halved banana on top. Complete the sandwich with another layer of sticky rice and press in a few black beans. Tie up the banana leaves with a long strip of bamboo. You then place it in a steamer, like the one above, and steam for about an hour or so. The results will look like below. Delicious.

Sticky Rice Slices

ข้าวเหนียวตัด khao nieow dtut

Doesn't that look delicious? I could almost eat the picture! Yesterday afternoon, I got into the lift at school at the same time as one of the Thai teachers. She had obviously just got back from a trip to Paknam market. I didn't even have to ask her what she had bought. She opened it up and showed me a delicious looking dessert. She then gave it to me. She must have seen the saliva dripping from the corner of my mouth. I tried to say no but she was being typically Thai and wouldn't take no for an answer. Though I must admit I didn't put up much of a fight of refusing it. The dessert looked so delicious. I asked her what the name was and she said "khao nieow dtut" which means sticky rice slices.

Arriving in the computer room one of my teachers there asked what I had. I showed her and she said "oh, it is khao nieow naa nuan"! I said no, it is "khao nieow dtut". She insisted it wasn't. I then asked five different Thai people and ended up with them splitting into two different camps. It would now seem that this dessert is known by two different names though "khao nieow dtut" seems to be more popular!

Anyway, you may recognize the topping as being similar to khanom thuay which I talked about before. The white topping is made from rice flour, salt and coconut cream. In this case, as you can see, the layer is much thicker. The second layer here is also different. It is sticky rice. Overall, a very good dessert. And it only costs 5 baht per slice! In the picture you can see two slices

Steamed Pandanus Cake

ขนมถ้วยkhanom thuay

Don't you just love living in Thailand? Well, I do! I actually feel sorry for the people who enjoy Thai food but don't live here. Not only is it possible to get some of the best food in the world just around the corner, but we also get it delivered to the front door! A couple of weeks ago, I told you about the Ice-Cream in a Bun guy that announces his arrival with the ringing of his small bell. This afternoon I had a visit from the lady that sells khanom thuay which is called "steamed pandanus cake" in English.

In the picture above, the hawker is scooping the cakes out of the porcelain cups onto a tray. You can just see that the cake (more like a jelly) consists of two distinct layers. The green bottom layer is made up of rice flour mixed with some mung bean flour, pandanus juice, sugar and coconut milk. The white topping is made from rice flour, salt and coconut cream. It is the pandanus juice that gives this cake its distinctive colour. The green leaves are blended with water and then the resulting green juice is strained out.

The bottom layer of this cake is cooked first in a steamer for about five minutes. Then the top layer is added and then steamed for another five minutes. It is then left to cool before serving. This great snack only costs 10 baht for a tray. I wonder who will come down our little lane tomorrow?

Ice Cream in a Bread roll

ไอติม i-dtim

I think one of the best things about travelling to a distant land for your holiday is having things turned upside down on their head. What you always saw as normal practice in your home-country, is seen as abnormal or strange in another place. And vice versa.

I think one of the first "strange" things I saw when I arrived in Thailand was the street hawker selling ice cream. Nothing strange in that you might say (see picture above). However, it was how they served the ice cream (or "i sa-creem" as the Thai call it or "i-dtim" as the kids call it). You can choose to have your ice cream in a familiar cone or plastic cup, or in a bread roll! At first that was too weird to contemplate. But after tasting it, I soon became addicted. If I ever go back to England, I think I will start the craze of selling ice-cream sandwiches. They are really delicious.

That isn't really the only difference. In the West, we are used to ice-cream made from dairy products. However, Thai people have trouble digesting the lactose that occurs in milk. (Most people in Asia are the same however Thai students today drink milk at school daily and presumably are building up a tolerance.) As an alternative, they make ice-cream in Thailand from coconut milk.

Our local "i-dtim" man comes around every day. Probably more often now as it is summer holidays. He rings his little bell which tells us straight away what he is hawking before we even see him. To catch his attention, you can call out "dtim dtim". The ice cream he sells in his push cart (others have bicycles attached to their carts) cost 5-10 baht depending on the size. Today I chose a big cup for 10 baht and he then asked me what I wanted with the coconut ice-cream. The choice was between glutinous rice or chopped glaceed fruit. I chose the former. He put the sticky rice in the cup and then gave me several scoops of ice cream. He then poured a little condensed milk on top.

Very nice on a hot summer's day.