Thai desserts

Thai desserts

Thai dessert is a kind of sweet that was made in the kingdom of Thailand. Its identities are delicacy to select raw materials, methods, delicious taste and colorful appearance.

History

Thai people would make the dessert only in a special occasion such as religious ceremony, special festival or welcoming important guest because it takes many people to help and and takes long time to prepare. Most of Thai desserts which people make commonly are traditional like local sweets which are different from the sweets in royal residence that must be very glamorous. Thai people always name the dessert by thinking of the good meaning such as

Jah Mong Kood (Eggs yolks Dumpling in Wheat Flour Crown)

This name means to be the leader, it's often used for congratulations to someone who got advancement.

Tuay Foo (Fluffy cake)

This name means to flourish.

Thong Yhip (Golden droplets)

This name means to be rich.

Khanom Chan (Layer cake)

This name was given because it's often made in layer shape but in present we adapt it to be in various form. Khanom Chan means the progression.

Influence from foreign country

Some of Thai desserts are adapt from exchanging culture with other countries. Particularly the dessert which was made of eggs. This kind of sweet came to Thailand in the time of King Narai the Great by Madame Thao Thong Keep Mah, the Portuguese wife of Phraya Witchayen, the consul who were in charge of consulate in Thailand at that time. Most of desserts were taugth to the Thai by her were made of eggs such as Thong* Yhip, Thong Yhod (golden drops), Phoi Thong (golden fibre), etc.

*Thong means gold, the color of egg is like gold

Preparing Thai desserts

To make Thai desserts, we need may things to concentrate such as to love to do, to be patient and to have punctiliousness to design beautiful appearance ans tasty sweets. Delicious and good-looking dessert asks for practicing frequently and long experiences. Ancestors would make Thai sweets by estimating ingredients and there weren't any certain formula. But nowadays, Thai desserts add up to international dessert as we have definite formula and clear procedure.

Main ingredients to make Thai dessert are

• Sugar (caster/brown sugar, palm sugar or syrup)


• Flour (rice flour, glutinous rice flour, cassava starch, corn starch, mung bean starch, arrowroot starch and wheat flour)
  
• Coconut milk
  
• Baking powder (In case of we make fluffy cake or fluffy sugarpalm cake)
  
• Fragrance (Pandanus leaf and Jasmine fragrance are the most popular)
  
• Salt
  
• Food color
  
• Eggs

Thai desserts we would recommend you to cook are :

Khanom Chan (Layer cake)

Ingredients :

• plain flour 2 cups
• rice flour 2 cups
• tapioca flour 2 cups
• coconut milk 6 cups
• 15 pandanus leaves
• jasmine essence water 5 cups

How to cook :

1. To make jasmine essence water, soak the jasmines in the water in a bowl overnight by close the cover.
2. To make green color, slice the pandanus leaves then pound and blend with 1 cup of jasmine essence water. After that remove its chips.
3. Heat the jasmine essence water and coconut milk in a pot, stir frequently until cooked. Leave it warm then pour into a big bowl.
4. Put all kinds of flour into a bowl and knead well. Set aside.
5. Boil sugar and jasmine essence water, simmer until the syrup becomes thick.
6. Separate the flour into two bowls. Mix the geen coloring with the first part of flour so,one part is green anothor is white with coconot milk.
7. Pour white flour into a tray to make the first thin layer and steam. Remove from the steamer.
8. Pour green flour into a tray to make the second thin layer and steam. Remove from the steamer.
9. Repeat 6 and 7 again and again until fine. The last layer should be green.
10. Leave it cool. Cut into pieces to serve.
    

Kluay Buat Chi (Banana in coconut milk)

Ingredients :

• bananas 10 ripes
• coconut cream 1/2 cup
• coconut milk 3 cups
• sugar 1 cup
• salt 1 teaspoon
  

How to cook :

1. Peel the bananas, cut each in half lengthwise then cut across to get 4 pieces. Do like this with all 10 ripes
2. Pour coconut milk into a pot and cook over medium heat until it boils.
3. Add the bananas, and cook until soft then add sugar and salt.
4. After sugar has completely dissolved, pour in the coconut cream, then remove from the heat.
5. Serve warm bananas in a dessert bowl.

Even though there are influences from foreign sweets, some of still Thai desserts are coloring the local life style. We could say 'Thai dessert never died' as long as we live in Thailand with Thai beautiful culture.

Kanchanok Sompakdee

Sompop Detpae

Khon Kaen University