Around-the-World Sweets: Thai Desserts
Ranging from palm-flavored mini cakes with shredded coconut (khanom tan) to jasmine scented coconut pudding (tako), the majority of Thai meals end with fresh fruit or a sweet snack as dessert. Chao kuai is a grass jelly typically served with shaved ice and brown sugar, while sangkhaya fak thong combines egg and coconut served with pumpkin. In the United States, Thai desserts containing mango, coconut milk, and sticky rice are most popular, like the ones listed below:
The Importance of Mango
In Thai cuisine, mango plays an important role – added to entrees, side dishes and especially desserts. If you’d like to explore Thai sweets that include the delectably sweet fruit, consider mango sorbet and pudding. Mango Sorbet usually requires the use of a blender or food processor to produce the light and airy frozen treat of sweetened water flavored with iced fruit juice or puree. For a quick Thai treat, Mango Pudding only takes about 15 minutes to create. Some recipes use coconut milk instead of whipping cream or evaporated milk, which livens up the flavor of the mango.
Thai Mango Sticky Sweet Rice
Sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) possesses a glue-like consistency and is used in a variety of Thai desserts and dishes. You can locate sticky rice at an Asian grocery store or a supermarket aisle offering international food products. A colander is generally used to steam the sticky rice or it is made on a stovetop in a pot. This classic tropical blend starts with saturating the sticky rice in coconut milk and ends with slices of fresh or frozen mango as a topping.
Pandan Rice Cake
Another Thai dessert that uses sticky rice is the two-layered Pandan Rice Cake – a relatively healthy treat that’s low in sugar, rich in protein, and low in saturated fat. The first layer consists of sticky rice, coconut milk, and a green-colored paste known as “pandan” – made from the juice of Pandanus amaryllifolius leaves. The first layer is also sweetened with white or brown sugar (and sometimes maple syrup). The second layer is comprised of eggs, coconut milk, sugar, pandan paste, and rice flour. Often served warm or at room temperature, the cake is usually decorated with fresh fruit or drizzled with toasted coconut.
Thai-Style Crème Caramel
The Thai version of the traditional crème caramel dessert uses coconut milk in place of cream, which supplies the body with good fats that help lower your cholesterol. Most recipes create a whipped treat you pop in the oven in less than ten minutes.
Green Tea and Coconut Cake
A favorite at potluck gatherings, dinner parties and afternoon tea, Green Tea and Coconut Cake blends healthy green tea with shredded coconut, brown sugar, and coconut milk. Because of the ingredients, this Thai dessert offers a low-fat, low-carb, low-sodium treat. Typical recipes use about three teaspoons of green tea powder, such as Japanese ‘macha’ – found at health food stores or Asian import markets.
