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Khanohm faawy or Khanohm handtraa - A Forgotten Thai Dessert and Snack ขนมฝอย หรือ ขนมหันตรา
Khanohm faawy or Khanohm handtraa A Forgotten Thai Dessert and Snack ขนมฝอย หรือ ขนมหันตรา
Known as Khanohm faawy (ขนมฝอย) or Khanohm handtraa, this sweet or savory packet can be a dessert or a snack. The dessert has a sweet filling of silky mung beans and a coconut marzipan-like paste, while the snack’s savory filling consists of shrimp and pork minced and seasoned with garlic, coriander root and white peppercorns. Each is theatrically wrapped in a striking nest of skillfully crafted duck’s egg thread.
khanohm goom gaaeng thuaa (ขนมกุมแกงถั่ว; khanohm goom gaaeng thuaa)
Golden Baked Coconut and Mung Bean Custard (ขนมกุมภแกงถั่ว; khanohm pha goom gaaeng thuaa)
Khanohm goom gaaeng thuaa, a baked coconut and mung bean confection using top-heat charcoal baking, from Jeeb Bunnag's 1933 manuscript.
Malay Rose Apple in Glass Syrup and Cream (ชมพู่สาแหรกต้มครีม; chohm phuu saa raaek dtohm khreem)
Malay Rose Apple in Glass Syrup and Cream (ชมพู่สาแหรกต้มครีม; chohm phuu saa raaek dtohm khreem)
Chohm phuu saa raaek dtohm khreem: Malay apple wedges simmered in strained glass syrup, served chilled with cream. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Sweet Pounded Unripe Rice Flakes Cereal with Coconut Flesh and Banana (ข้าวเม่าคลุก ; khaao mao khlook )
Sweet Pounded Unripe Rice Flakes Cereal - Rice harvesting takes place only once a year, and there are only two weeks where the ripening grains are suitable for producing Khao Mao. Khao Mao doesn't age well, it gets dry and tough quickly. The-once-vivid beautiful green color that portrayed the essence of its immaturity and the beginning of the rice harvesting season, slowly fades away, along with its bread like scent.
Date Palm in Coconut Milk (อินทผาลัมน้ำกะทิ; in tpha lam naam ga thi)
Date Palm in Coconut Milk (อินทผาลัมน้ำกะทิ; in tpha lam naam ga thi)
In tpha lam naam ga thi, date palm hand-torn and served in freshly pressed coconut milk, lightly salted. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Heavenly Maidens Floating in Crystal Syrup (ลอยแก้วสาวสวรรค์; laawy gaaeo saao sa wan)
Heavenly Maidens Floating in Crystal Syrup (ลอยแก้วสาวสวรรค์; laawy gaaeo saao sa wan)
Laawy gaaeo saao sa wan, peeled grapes and cherries in vanilla-scented crystal syrup. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1933 palace cookbook.
Thai Dessert Recipe: Pandan Flavored Sweet Translucent Glutinous Rice (khaao niaao gaaeo) สูตรทำข้าวเหนียวแก้ว
One of the charms of street food is that it finds you rather than you finding it. Therefore you are usually in the perfect mood to embrace it. This treat along with other sweets are traditionally presented on tricycle drawn trays that are protected from insects and pollution by a transparent nylon tent and light up by a single light bulb.
Traditional Sampanee Confection (ขนมสำปะนีแบบเดิม; khanohm sam pa nee baep doem)
Traditional Sampanee Confection (ขนมสำปะนีแบบเดิม; khanohm sam pa nee baep deerm)
Khanom sampanee, dry-roasted glutinous rice flour and coconut milk set by sugar recrystallization, scented with jasmine. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Royal Puffed Rice Confection (ข้าวตูเสวย; khaao dtuu suay)
Royal Puffed Rice Confection (ข้าวตูเสวย; khaao dtuu suay)
Khaao dtuu suay: toasted sun-dried rice kneaded with coconut and palm sugar, then scented with jasmine and ylang-ylang. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
ส้มฉุน ; sohm choon
Sohm Choon Fruit Dessert of Lychee, Green Mango, Young Ginger in Jasmine, Bitter Orange, and Pandan-Scented Sweet and Salty Syrup, Topped with Grilled Shallots, Peanuts and Roasted Coconut
(ส้มฉุน ; sohm choon)
The first reference to sohm choon as a dessert appears in in the early 1800s, in the culinary poetry of King Rama II gaap heh chohm khreuuang khaao waan (กาพย์เห่ชมเครื่องคาว - หวาน). The poetry was sung during the royal barge’s procession, and this verse refers to sohm choon as a dish made of lychees. A closer look at other foods that are mentioned in the verse also reveals other dishes that are clearly of Chinese origin, such as boiled pork spleen (dtohm dtap lek ต้มตับเหล็ก), steamed bird’s nests (rang nohk neung รังนกนึ่ง) and persimmons (luuk phlap ลูกพลับ).
Coconut Balls Rolled in Ground Roasted Unripe Rice (ข้าวเม่าบด ; khaao mao boht)
This ball-shaped dessert has a sweet coconut filling (gracheek), surrounded by a thin crust of pounded unripe rice crumbs, along with a tempting fragrance enriched with a Thai dessert candle or fresh flowers. Demonstrating brilliant creativity and attention to detail, this classical Thai dessert uses only three basic ingredients. In this article, we have elected to follow the traditional recipe published in 1908 by Thanpuying Plean Passakornrawong.
Taro Custard (สังขยาเผือก; sang kha yaa pheuuak)
Taro Custard (สังขยาเผือก; sang kha yaa pheuuak)
Sang kha yaa pheuuak, a steamed coconut cream custard with mold-pressed taro slices, from Jeeb Bunnag's 1933 Cookbook of Rice Companion Recipes.
Lod Chong Recipe
Pandan Flavored Rice Flour Droplets in Sweetened Coconut Cream Syrup
(khanohm laawt chaawng naam gathi)
สูตรทำขนมลอดช่องน้ำกะทิ หรือ นกปล่อย
Thai desserts are usually made from common ingredients and therefore very popular. However, it was only during the 17th century that desserts and sweets actually became part of everyday meals. In the old days, they were served only at auspicious occasions and ceremonies. During wedding ceremonies, for example, four kinds of sweets are usually served, collectively known as "the four plates dessert" (ขนมสี่ถ้วย ; khanohm see thuay). The ancient Thai expression "To eat four cups of dessert" (กินสี่ถ้วย ; gin see thuay ) used in the central region of the kingdom as an idiom referring to a wedding banquet.
Scented Cassava-Starch Diamonds in Coconut Milk (มันสำปะหลังยอหยา; man sam bpa lang yaaw yaa)
Scented Cassava-Starch Diamonds in Coconut Milk (มันสำปะหลังยอหยา; man sam bpa lang yaaw yaa)
Man sam bpa lang yaaw yaa: cassava starch diamonds kneaded with pandan, served in floral-scented coconut milk. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Airy Golden Cake (ขนมทองโปร่ง; khanohm thong pro:ng)
Airy Golden Cake (ขนมทองโปร่ง; khanohm thong pro:ng)
Khanohm thong pro:ng, a rice flour sponge baked in molds with whipped egg whites, from Jeeb Bunnag's 1933 Cookbook of Rice Companion Recipes.
Jasmine Scented Candied Wild Bitter Gourd
(mara khee nohk cheuuam ; มะระขี้นกเชื่อม)
Our ancestors, the early humans, had to base their food selection only on their senses. Sweet was energy, umami indicated the presence of proteins and saltiness was the sign for the much needed minerals. Generally, they avoided sour taste because it represented rotten or spoiled food, and bitter was the taste tonics and remedies were made of, and yes, it is now confirmed that bitter gourds are good for you.
Mung Bean khanohm Go (ขนมโก๋ถั่ว; khanohm go thuaa)
Mung Bean khanohm Go (ขนมโก๋ถั่ว; khanohm go thuaa)
Khanohm go thuaa, a molded palace confection of dry-roasted mung bean flour and coarse-grain sugar, scented with jasmine and ylang-ylang. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Golden Jackfruit Seeds
Thai Mung Bean Marzipan and Egg Yolk Dessert
(Met Khanoon ; ขนมเม็ดขนุน)
It is believed that this dish was introduced to the Siamese royal cuisine in the middle of the seventeenth century by Portuguese traders. Later, along with other egg yolk-based golden sweets like the golden drops (thong yot ทองหยอด), golden flowers (thong yip ทองหยิบ) and golden threads (foi thong ฝอยทอง), these royal desserts were passed to commoners outside the court. For the marzipan filling I am using, beside the mung beans, both the flesh and the water of fragrant young coconuts. It gives a rich, sweet and almost nutty flavor which works perfectly with the silky texture of the mung beans and the creamy golden egg yolks coating.
Sweet Egg (ไข่หวาน; khai waan)
Sweet Egg (ไข่หวาน; khai waan)
Sweet Egg (khai waan): candied salted duck egg yolk encased in floral agar jelly, molded inside an eggshell. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
ข้าวเม่าทอด ; khaao mao thaawt
Battered and Deep-Fried Unripe Rice and Grated Coconut Banana Rolls (ข้าวเม่าทอด ; khaao mao thaawt)
Deceptively simple, the recipe for battered, deep-fried unripe rice and grated coconut banana rolls (khao mao thaawt, ข้าวเม่าทอด) is actually quite challenging to master. Like so many Thai dessert recipes, this seemingly straightforward dish has a complex character.
Golden Baked Coconut and Lotus Seed Custard (ขนมกุมภแกงเมล็ดบัว; khanohm goom pha gaaeng ma let buaa)
Golden Baked Coconut and Lotus Seed Custard (ขนมกุมภแกงเมล็ดบัว; khanohm goom pha gaaeng ma let buaa)
Khanohm goom pha gaaeng ma let buaa, a lotus seed custard with caramelized coconut solids, radiant-baked until golden. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

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