Before coming to Thailand together, Jon had been here twice. Both times he’d come back to me raving about his favorite morning market food, something he described to me as Idli – like, as it was my only frame of reference. (Idli is an East Indian round fluffy steamed rice cake of sorts that is savory, but can also be sweet). More than anything for me it was the way he would describe wandering the markets for this delicious treat that he would indulge in as often as he could. It would have me daydreaming of the time I’d be there too.
Now… I’m here! And today, after a week of acclimating and eating at restaurants for breakfast, we headed out to a market outside of old Chiang Mai. I’m going to try really hard to restrain myself and not write endlessly on the wonders of markets here, because I’m telling you… it’s nothing short of thrilling. Yes. Thrilling.
So we arrived and Jon marched us right to the Kanom Krok lady and oh the goodness.
Kanom Krok is a a coconut pudding made of ground jasmine rice and coconut milk as a base. Both are poured into a cast iron pan specifically made for Kanom Krok. Toppings vary, but chives, pumpkin shavings, sugar, and salt can be used as a topping.
The mixture is cooked until there is a nice crispy golden bottom and then each half round is carefully scooped out and placed on a grate to cool before serving.
What you get is the creamy sweetness of coconut milk and rice, with the savory addition of salt and whatever other addition has been placed on the Kanom Krok. It’s a warm soothing comfort food that delivers a delightful YUM. I loved them and am officially adding them to my favorites list.
For 12 halves we paid 15 Baht which amounts to roughly $00.15 USD depending on the exchange rate. You can do a search for various recipes online. Everyone makes theirs a bit different, but here is an ingredient list to give you an idea:
- Rice Flour
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Coconut cream
- Water
- Salt
- Sugar
- Toppings vary
I’m drooling over this post… my heart skipped a beat when I got to the image of those little treats crispy and golden and ready to dive into!
First… I love that your name is now ABC! And Second… these make me so happy, I can’t even tell you. Finding food I can eat has become like the MISSION of my life this week. Also finding these meant that we had to go to a totally local market where there was very little English spoken and everyone was so eager to help us and interact with us in order to help us around. Very sweet and gentle morning.
So yummy sounding and the pictures are so colorful.
Thank you, Eli! Hope you have a lovely and delicious New Years!
I’m a vendor at the. Hollywood Farmers Market on Sundays. Though my specialty is Jamaican sauces, I after setting up my booth always go visit the Thai booth that makes these beautiful little coconut cakes! They are soooo good!
Oooh! I had no idea you could get these State side! Great resource to know about. I’m in Southern California about twice a year.
Elena, yes, if you’re close to Hollywood, the market is amazing as well as those tasty coconut cakes!stop by Jabberwocky Foods booth in Spice Alley and say hello.
Will do! Thanks for the tip, Susann.
I’m so glad you posted on Kanom Krok. They are as delicious as you say (thank you Jon Brown) and I am trying to rearrange my next mainland trip, just to get to the Hollywood Farmers Market. I used to go monthly but haven’t been there since I moved to Maui.