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Thai Scented Candle (Tian Op เทียนอบ) and How to Use It to Perfume Food

By on April 28, 2011 in She Stocks a Thai Pantry, She Thais, She Uncooks

thai candle เทียนอบ
There’s something melancholic — almost mournful — about the scent of this traditional Thai dessert candle which I can’t identify. That’s a bit ironic considering how the candle is used exclusively to perfume food, primarily sweets and dessert ingredients. Could the culprit be its main ingredient, frankincense, used in many parts of the world in burial rituals? Could it be that just one whiff of it and I’m transported to the home I grew up in — the one that was recently demolished? Or could it have something to do with the fact that this is a candle whose sole purpose in life is to be burned ever so briefly then snuffed out? I don’t really know. Continue Reading →

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Thai Garlic-Peppercorn-Cilantro Root Aromatic Paste

By on April 17, 2011 in She Bakes, She Drizzles and Smears, She Roasts, She Stocks a Thai Pantry, She Thais


On the (by no means exhaustive) list of composite ingredients commonly used in Thai cooking which I’ve mentioned in this CNN article is this basic aromatic paste comprising fresh garlic, white peppercorns, and cilantro roots that is used in various dishes, most notably as part of a marinade. This represents one of the basic things that, once incorporated into your repertoire, will make Thai cooking much easier and more intuitive to you.

Is this all the Thai people use to marinate things? No. Is this the sacred marinade without which all Thai meat dishes are declared unrighteous? Of course not. I don’t think there ever was a council of Thai culinary gurus who got together at one point in our history and came up with a “we believe” document in the manner of Nicaea. But if you look closely at the various marinades used in traditional Thai dishes, you’ll see that these three ingredients represent what most, if not all, of these marinades have in common. 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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