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Thai Spicy Mixed Vegetable Soup – Kaeng Liang (แกงเลียง)

By on August 16, 2011 in She Deglutenizes, She Interviews, She Simmers, She Thais


1940 was unkind to many around the globe. It was the year Italy declared war on France, Germany invaded the Low Countries, and the Battle of Britain began. Things weren’t entirely calm and normal in their neck of the woods either. But having heard of what happened to Jews across Europe and how much of the world was starting to live under food rationing, the young newlyweds were thankful for what they had.

There was still a thriving vegetable garden in their little yard. The chickens still laid eggs daily. Sure, they were living in a small army house in the North of Bangkok – a house they didn’t even own. She’d just quit her teaching job to start a family, and he was earning a meager junior officer salary. But they were happy.

Life would be tough, and they’d known that going in. But that’s the price you pay for having married against your parents’ will and for being too proud to ask for help.

But they had their love. They had their health. They had each other. And that was enough. Continue Reading →

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Thai Sour Curry (Kaeng Som – แกงส้ม)

By on June 12, 2011 in She Deglutenizes, She Rants and Muses, She Simmers, She Stocks a Thai Pantry, She Thais


If those who follow me on Twitter have wondered why it took me so long to finally publish this post on Thai Sour Curry or Kaeng Som (แกงส้ม) after I’d announced it nearly two months ago, check out the length of this post. There’s so much to say about this curry, so many possible angles from which to approach the subject. When you see how much information I’ve been forced to relegate to the footnotes to keep the length of this post reasonable – and it looks like I’ve failed miserably – you’ll understand the procrastination.

After all, it’s kaeng som[1], one of the grande dames of Thai curries, we’re talking about. It’s the curry that captures so very well the flavors associated with traditional Thai food. A short, quick post would be disrespectful.

We loved kaeng som in our family. We loved it so much that it was served at least twice a week, or more if you count the leftover meals. And on the days when I didn’t have kaeng som at home, it would be served at school. If Brillat-Savarin is right, then I am nothing but a big bowl of kaeng som. Continue Reading →

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Baby Bananas in Heavy Syrup (Kluay Khai Chueam กล้วยไข่เชื่อม)

By on April 14, 2011 in She Deglutenizes, She Drizzles and Smears, She Jams and Pickles, She Simmers, She Thais, She Veges


This classic Thai dessert is great warm, at room temperature, cold, or topped with crushed ice. It’s also pretty easy to make. You need baby or nino bananas, though; regular cavendish bananas turn all mushy and weird in the simmering syrup.1 And don’t skip the coconut cream topping; it is the vehicle for the saltiness that this sweet dessert desperately needs.

Baby Bananas in Heavy Syrup (Kluay Khai Chueam กล้วยไข่เชื่อม)
Printable Version

10 under-ripe baby bananas2, peeled and soaked in salted water for 5 minutes3
1.5 cup water
1.5 cup granulated sugar
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons rice flour or 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

  • In a pot (wide enough for 10 baby bananas to float in a single layer and deep enough to hold half a gallon of water), mix together the water and sugar; bring the mixture to a boil.
  • Drain the bananas and gently add them to the syrup; adjust the heat to achieve a gentle simmer.
  • Simmer the banana in the syrup, undisturbed, for 8 minutes. Do not stir the bananas around or they will lose their shape and become “fuzzy” on the outside.
  • With the tip of a knife or a wooden skewer, gently flip over each banana and continue to simmer for another 8 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat. Let the bananas cool in the syrup to slightly warmer than room temperature.
  • Meanwhile, make the topping by whisking together the coconut milk, flour, and salt in a small pot. Heat and stir constantly until the mixture starts to boil and thicken. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • To serve, fish out the bananas from the syrup and place them on a plate. Drizzle the coconut cream topping over the bananas.

    • 1 This is why traditionally only nino bananas (Kluay Khai) and burro bananas (Kluay Nam Wa) and never cavendish bananas (Kluay Hom) are used to make this dessert. Having said that, I’ve used cavendish before solely out of necessity and, though it didn’t yield optimal result, it wasn’t abominable. If you really can’t find nino or burro, which can be hard to find, feel free to use cavendish. Pick ones that aren’t so ripe; otherwise, they fall apart on you after cooking.

    2 They should be about 50% yellow and 50% green.

    3 Do not skip this step. The salted water will help remove much of the sticky substance on bananas that are under-ripe. Failure to do this will result in unsightly brown spots on the cooked bananas. A tablespoon of salt for every quart (32 fluid ounces) of water should do.

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