Khanom thuai, Khanom thuai talai

Type	Dessert
Place of origin	Thailand
Main ingredients	Rice flour, coconut milk, sugar

Khanom thuai (or Khanom thuai talai in some areas) is a traditional Thai dessert that has a sweet taste in contrast with a salty taste. The uniqueness of this dish is that it is served in small ceramic bowls (hence the name "dessert in a small bowl") with a small wooden spoon. The basic ingredients for making this dish in the modern day consist of rice flour, cane sugar, salt, and coconut milk. However, traditionally, a few extra ingredients can be added, which are jasmine-infused water and tapioca flour.

There are two parts of the Khanom thuai, the "body" and the "face". The body is at the bottom with the face resting on it. In the past, the body section will have a light brown color from coconut sugar. However, nowadays, people are applying a variety of ingredients to change different aspects of the desert (taste and looks). For example, by applying pandan leaf, the body will change color to white and by applying butterfly pea, the body will change color to light blue.

In Thailand, Khanom thuai is well known across the country and is commonly eaten alongside boat noodles and sold at street shops.

History

In the past, Khanom Thuai was generally made only for important cultural dates and festivals, such as weddings, ordinations, and events similar to Songkran day. This is due to the number of recourses both manpower and ingredients that are required are quite high. In addition, the recipe for making this delicacy changes drastically over time, and for the dessert to be more suitable for different purposes, for example, Khanom Thuai which is given to the monks as an offering has a different recipe than normal ones, in this case, the recipe was adjusted so that it is more difficult to becomes doughy.

Modern versions

There are many variation of Khanom Thuai at the present date. Adding different colors and other ingredients, such as pandan leaf or young coconut, is a popular act that is commonly done in stores across Bangkok. Price of Khanom Thuai depending on where you buy it. It can vary from 2 or 5 bath per piece up to 10 bath.