Thai shaved ice desserts ?

[nickarte]

Can anyone tell me about the Thai desserts, that is, the shaved ice with various beans and squiggly things with coconut milk on top, found at street stalls all over Thailand? What is it called? What is the history of it? How are the squiggly things made?

[Austin]

There are many different kinds, with many different names! The most famous is probably chao kuay, a dessert of Chinese origin that uses black jelly-like cubes, mixed with ice and raw sugar. When done well it can be very good and is believed to be "cooling" for the body. I think the squiggly things you mention might be called lawd chong, and are, uh.. squiggly little...things. Not sure what they're made of, but they are coated with a salty/sweet coconut sauce particular to Thai sweets.

Austin

[OnigiriFB]

The squigly things aren't colored are they? If they are I don't remember the name but I think its made out of tapioca powder and colored with food color? Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

That was one of the desserts I actually liked. Especially the green one.

[Ptipois]

There are many kinds of squiggly things, aren't there? Some are made from tapioca flour, and some from a kind of bean flour and dyed green with pandan: I think that's the case of the green soft and very squiggly (even wormy) ones that are also popular in Viêt-Nam. Other squiggly things are colorless of pink, and judging by the texture I think they're made from agar-agar.

I like studying Thai preparations, but when it comes to the squiggly-things-that-are-served-with-shaved-ice (and the sweet-salty coconut cream), I suddenly feel intimidated. I like them a lot, but the variety seems endless. I don't know where to start.

[miladyinsanity]

There are many different kinds, with many different names!  The most famous is probably chao kuay, a dessert of Chinese origin that uses black jelly-like cubes, mixed with ice and raw sugar.  When done well it can be very good and is believed to be "cooling" for the body.

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If I'm guessing correctly, the chao kuay is called Xian Chao in Mandarin (directly translated as immortal grass) and Grass Jelly in English. You should be able to find it in Chinatown, but I don't know what it's made off.

[trillium]

From what I could gather last time I looked into it, grass jelly is made from a grass like member of the mint family, Mesona chinensis.

The cans of stuff where you have to cut it up or grate it yourself are much tastier then the premade drinks. I think our favorite here in the US is from Taiwan, but I don't remember the name of it.

The stuff in chendol is made from mung bean flour and flavored with pandan (well, it should be, but lots of places in the US cheat and use rice flour and fake pandan flavor, but they're all bright green). The other squiggly stuff varies, and can be made from nearly any sort of starch you can imagine. My favorite ?why? topping is the fake pomegranite seeds. And don't forget hearts of palm, corn, etc. etc.

Whatever you do, Ptipois, avoid the green Hale Blue Boy syrup and you should be fine.

regards,

trillium

[OnigiriFB]

My favorite ?why? topping is the fake pomegranite seeds.  And don't forget hearts of palm, corn, etc. etc.

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Are you talking about tup tim krob? Cause I like that one too. I always wanted to know how they made it too. Anyone know? Desserts never intrested me that much so I don't have any recipes to use.

[Ptipois]

Are you talking about tup tim krob? Cause I like that one too. I always wanted to know how they made it too. Anyone know? Desserts never intrested me that much so I don't have any recipes to use.

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Thabtim krob (or whatever it may be spelled) are small bits of fresh water chestnut rolled in water chestnut flour, then boiled and dyed red. I love them with a good dollop of coconut cream. I have a recipe for them somewhere, I have to dig it out if anyone's interested.