My life in Minnesota: July 2013

When I was young I saw my mom and my grandmother always make a variety of Thai desserts; both for sale and for the family. As I mentioned in my first post, I am originally from a family of farmers and we grew rice twice a year. After rice season, my mom needed to make some Thai dessert early in the morning in order to make more money. At like 1-2 am and she had to catch a local bus to a market to sell stuff in the morning. I had a chance to go with her on the weekends. It was a fun experience, and also helped my mom making some money. However, I never paid attention on how to make those treats when I had a chance to learn. Now I have to learn how to make them by asking for a recipe from my mom over the phone or internet.

Thai Desserts are quite sweet like other national desserts. Most are made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar; especially palm sugar. Some people suggest that eating a dessert is not good for your body; then how come most Thais are skinny if that’s true? In fact, Thai desserts are naturally low in fat and calories but high in flavor than most Western-style desserts.

I have made more varieties of Thai desserts, these days, as my husband likes them. I also provide to the monks in the local Thai temple. I also feel happy and it relieves my stress when I make this stuff.

Here you are, some favorite dessert I have made:

Mango with Sticky Rice (Khao Niaow Ma Muang) is a classic Thai dessert and one of my husband’s favorite Thai dessert. I bet that most foreigner who’ve been in Thailand before and tried this dessert would be in love with Thai Mango with Sticky Rice. Here I can not get Thai mango but I could get substitute sweet Mexican mango, it is not the best but it is better than nothing.

Thai coconut cake (Sa Lee Ma Prao) is made with shredded coconut, sugar, eggs and flour

Another try using cake flour

Thai Fried Banana. My special Thai dessert that is to-die-for J. I will normally make it if I see Thai banana in an Asian market. It’s not the same favor if you use plantain or other kind of banana. You know fried bananas are a popular dessert and snack food in Thailand

Fried Banana with ice cream. I learn how to make this when I worked in a Thai restaurant, can’t believe how simple it is. Start with regular ripe bananas and egg-roll wrappers, then deep fry it.

Thai Pumkin Custard (Sang Ka Ya Fuk Thong). I made this dessert for a Halloween dessert, an alternative to pumpkin pie. It's actually an easy recipe to make but it does take time to clean a pumpkin to be filled with Thai custard

Bean in coconut milk (Boor Loi). When I call “bean” it is actually dough balls made from glutinous rice flour. Sometimes I add taro or pumpkin or sweet yam into the dough for a variety of favors. Boiling water and throw balls into a pot. They will magically float to after they are done. Then leave them in cold water, drain, and put them into sweet coconut milk. My husband had a fun and weird feeling when these balls are in his mouth as he feels like he is eating gum balls.

Sticky Rice with Egg Custard (KHAO Niew Na Sangkaya). Another one of my husband’s favorites. This is Thai style custard on sweet sticky rice. The custard is made with egg, coconut milk, palm sugar, pandan leave and then steam over boling water. Yum.

Purple Sticky Rice with Egg Custard

Purple Sticky Rice with Jackfruit.

Thai Style Layered Jelly (Kanom Chan). Just enjoy peel each individual layer off and eat one by one :)

Red Rubies (Tab Tim Krob). It is water chestnuts with coconut milk. The look of this dessert remind ones of a pomegranate seed “Tab-Tim”. “Tab-Tim” also known as Ruby and Krob means "Crunchy"

Thai Egg Custard (Khanom Maw Kaeng)

Toddy Palm Cake (Khanom Tarn) or you can call Thai cupcake. After steam over boil water, Its texture is like sponge after it is done. This dessert is not too hard to make, but it is not easy to get the batter right.

Stuffed Dough Pyramid or Sticky Cake (Kanom Tian). This is home-made with coconut, rice-flour and sugar.

Thai Coconut Custard (Khanom Tuay)

Sticky Rice in Banana leave (Khao Tom Mud). It is made with sticky rice, coconut milk, sugar, black beans, all wrap in a banana leave and steam.

Bean Paste (Khanom Med Khanoon). Med Kanoon literary means jackfruit seeds. It is made with mung bean, coconut milk, sugar and egg yolk (Duck egg). Then formed in oval shape like jackfruit seed and dip in egg yolk. This is a wonderful Thai dessert and always made in Thai wedding ceremony. The method is easy but can be quite time consuming.