Sticky Rice PCV Magazine

This month, staff writers share the Thai snacks that became volunteer favorites.

Hannah Fairweather, 137 TESS

In My Soy Milk Era

So lately I've been on the hunt for milk alternatives. I do love a good glass of cow's milk but if you've ever been to a Thai grocery store or even a 7-Eleven, you've seen the milk aisle. The number of options is a dream for a professional aisle wanderer. Recently, I picked up this black sesame soy milk. I think it's marketed toward kids, but considering I've been shadily told I have the taste buds of a child, it makes perfect sense that I'm obsessed.

When I was in Chicago, years ago, I had the best black sesame latte of my life and I've been chasing that flavor ever since. This little box of soy milk satisfies that craving and has become dangerously addictive. I drink it on its own, but my favorite way is mixing it with matcha powder for an easy homemade black sesame matcha. It hits. As a bonus, it's actually pretty nutritious too. Black sesame is rich in antioxidants (including sesamin), which supports bone and muscle health, and many versions are low in sugar or unsweetened. So now I get to pretend my latest obsession is also a health decision. Since this is not a traditional Thai kanom, let me tell you about another soy milk snack called nam dao huu (น้ำเต้าหู้).

I first tried nam dao huu when my host mom came home from the market one evening with a warm bag of it and handed it to me as dessert. Nam tao huu is fresh, Thai-style soy milk that's sold from street carts and at morning and night markets all over Thailand. It's served piping hot with toppings like grass jelly, basil seeds, or ginkgo nuts. I recently picked up a bag at my village market and it reminded me why I loved it the first time. The flavor is simple but incredibly comforting. Warm, silky, and naturally nutty from the soybeans with just enough sweetness. It's lighter than hot chocolate but just as cozy. Give it a try— chim (ชิม)!

Noel Knight, 137 YinD

I Go Go Nuts for Coconuts

When prompted with the “favorite kanom” group article, I had about a thousand ideas pop into my head. From the moment we landed in the Bangkok airport to this very moment, I don’t think a day has gone by where I didn’t treat myself to a little something sweet. Having to pick a favorite is like asking a mother to pick a favorite child! However, unlike moms everywhere, I will make no attempt to give a cop-out answer. Truthfully, I don’t think there is a kanom that can hold a candle to coconut ice cream.

What I love about coconut ice cream is its versatility. If I’m feeling especially peckish, I can throw a few scoops on bread and call it lunch. If I’m in the mood for something salty, I just top it with corn flakes! And, on days when I’m feeling like a native, coconut ice cream with sticky rice satisfies every craving. It’s light enough that I can trick myself into believing it’s a health food, and affordable enough to treat myself everyday if I so choose—and oftentimes, I do!

On one of my first days at my site, my counterpart and I were driving around and making small talk when she frantically yelled for our other coworker, Pii Golf, to stop the car. She leapt out of the car and out of sight, only to return a few minutes later with 2 cups of coconut ice cream. Last week, I went on a field trip with one of my schools. We took a pit stop where I got off to buy a water from 7-Eleven. When I got back on the bus, my co-teacher was waiting with cups of coconut ice cream for the both of us. Moments before pulling out my computer to write this article, my Nayok walked into the SAO with cups of coconut ice cream for everyone.

Coconut ice cream is absolutely delicious, and hands down, my favorite kanom. When I truly think about what makes it so sweet, my mind jumps immediately to these memories and the people I’ve been lucky enough to indulge in the scrumptiousness with.

Grace Richardson, 137 YinD

Miang: food wrapped in leaves. Kham: a single bite.

Flavor: sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, sour, crunchy, soft, fresh, fermented—a textural and flavor sensation!

Ingredients: wild betel leaves, toasted coconut, roasted peanuts, dried shrimp, fresh lime (peel on), ginger, shallots, Thai bird’s eye chilies, sauce (palm sugar, fish sauce, shrimp paste, galangal and ginger, lemongrass, water, shrimp/coconut).

My take:

It’s absolutely perfect, in every way. The shiny bitter betel leaves complement the medley inside, and despite all those competing flavors, everything is superbly balanced.
No two mouthfuls are the same—the balance is yours to find.
There’s no plate!! No fork! No spoon! No sticky fingers! You fold the leaf, pop it in your mouth, and it’s gone. It can even be put on a stick in neat little triangles! How convenient!

Gretchen Evans, 136 YinD

ข้าวจี่

My favorite Thai snack is ข้าวจี่, khao jee. It is sticky rice patties coated in seasoned egg and grilled until beautifully golden. When I first was introduced to khao jee, I thought my students who handed me the savory treat were saying, “gin khao, G!” as in “eat food, G!” but they were just telling me the name of the canom, i.e. “gin khao jee mai?”.

Immediately after trying khao jee, I didn’t realize I was experiencing a life-changing moment. It warmed me up (as if I needed warming up here) and made me feel almost nostalgic — I was Remy in Ratatouille experiencing the headrush of delicious flavors. When I think of food that feels like a warm hug, I often consider a yummy homemade soup or stew, an enticing lemon meringue pie, a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth croissant, or my mom’s signature chili. I am glad to add khao jee to this list. Next time you’re in Isaan or Laos, give it a try!

Olivia Fee, 137 TESS

Sweet Treats in the Land of Smiles

There’s not a Thai kanom I love more than a warm bowl of tao suan. I first came across it in early June when it was the dessert of the day at school. My counterparts and I are on lunch duty every day, so right as 11:30 A.M. rolls around we’re in the canteen passing out food with Bai-yung, the school chef. On this particular day, I stood over an enormous bowl of what looked like oatmeal, or corn kernels. Distributing it was a two step process: first, pour a ladle-full onto the student’s plate. Second, add a spoonful of coconut milk on top.

I tried some for myself after lunch and my first thought was that it reminded me of warm apple pie with ice cream. The yellow mung beans are sweet on their own and they have a viscous consistency. But the coconut milk adds a unique tanginess that balances out the flavors. Each element is prepared separately yet it comes together to form a delicious kind of sticky pudding. Even cooler is that it originates from China! The evolution of kanoms.

Ever since discovering this underrated Thai dessert, I always go to lunch duty in hopes of seeing a big pot of tao suan in the lineup. It quickly became my summer hyperfixation. To the point where both of my counterparts will now say, with emphasis, “Olivia loves tao suan”. Its presence at lunch has sparked a recurring ritual where either my counterparts or Bai-yung will unquestioningly pack two servings to go for Becket and I to enjoy at home.

Noah Anninger, 137 YinD

Sesame Peanuts, Pure Joy

In the afternoons when I most need a break, I bike to the nearby corner store and buy a 10 Baht pack of caramel-sesame peanuts. I first discovered the snack, and the store early in my service at a party during Songkran—the Thai New Year’s holiday. I loved the overpowering sweetness, cut by the sesame flavor and dryness of the peanut so much that, when the party ran out, I asked where they were sold and immediately set off down the street to buy more to share. That was my first time at Ta-naa’s store, my first encounter with the gaggle of kids who run up and down the street, laughing and singing and full of energy at all hours of the day.

As I became a regular customer of Ta-naa’s, I got to know the kids that linger around the store in a deeper way than my weekly in-school lessons would allow. I’ve now found the same peanuts at other stores around town, and next month, I’ll be moving to another village that has such stores. But I will still bike the inconveniently long distance to buy the most delicious snack in Thailand. Between the caramel and sesame, I taste the sweetness of the pure joy only a five-year-old could feel from running down the street, swinging off banisters, and shouting at the top of their lungs. It’s a beautiful joy, infectious, as easy to share as sugary peanuts on a slow afternoon.

Sam Vansomphone, 137 TESS

Sweet Tooth, Sweet Nostalgia

There are a lot of great desserts across Thailand. Lod chong, foi thong, and khanom krok, just to name a few of my favorites. However, mango sticky rice will always be my go to kanom. I know, I know. It’s a basic answer. But I have loved mango sticky rice since before I even came to Thailand.

I wouldn’t say I grew up with mango sticky rice in the traditional sense. While mangoes were common in my house, we often ate them plain. And any sticky rice we bought never lasted long; it was used immediately to prepare what we called sticky rice and eggs, or what PCVs would recognize as khao jee. In fact, the first time I ever made mango sticky rice was about a month ago. Instead of making the dish ourselves, my dad would often drive to the nearest Thai restaurant and pick up a few orders to bring back to us. So while it never found its way into our kitchen, mango sticky rice was still a staple in my childhood.

Since coming to Thailand, I’ve had the opportunity to try so many new desserts. Whether I bought them at the market or found them in the frozen aisle of 7-Eleven, they have all been fantastic. But despite their deliciousness, I would still choose mango sticky rice a heartbeat before any other option. Whether I’m at site or back home in the states, mango sticky rice will always have a special place in my heart and in my stomach.