''Khanom mo kaeng'' (, ) is a traditional

Thai dessert This is a list of Thai khanom, comprising snacks and desserts that are a part of Thai cuisine. Some of these dishes are also a part of other cuisines. The word "khanom" (), refers to snack or dessert, presumably being a compound between two words, ...

. It is similar to an egg custard or a kind of flan. ''Khanom mo kaeng'' is made with

coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

, eggs (either chicken or duck),

palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed simila ...

, white sugar, salt,

shallots The shallot is a cultivar group of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with ''Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the difference was to ...

and a bit of oil. There are different variations of ''khanom mo kaeng''. The kind of starch that is used is usually

taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...

s, but sometimes are used hulled

mung beans The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...

, lotus seeds,

sweet potatoes The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...

, or other starches.

History

Maria Guyomar de Pinha Maria Guyomar de Pina (; 1664 – 1728) (also known as ''Maria Guiomar de Pina'', ''Dona Maria del Pifia'' or as ''Marie Guimar'' and ''Madame Constance'' in French), Thao Thong Kip Ma (), was a Siamese woman from Ayutthaya. She was of mixed Jap ...

was the creator of many Thai desserts during the

Ayutthaya period The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

. These desserts were influenced by

Portuguese cuisine Portuguese cuisine () consists of the traditions and practices of cooking in Portugal. The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dish ...

due to her mixed heritage. Some foods that she created were

curry puff A curry puff (; Jawi: ; ; , , ) is a snack of Southeast Asian origin. It is a small turnover containing a filling of curry, often of chicken and potatoes, in a fried or baked pastry shell. The consistency of the curry is quite thick to prev ...

s, ''khanom mo kaeng'', '' thong muan'', '' thong yot'', ''

thong yip ''Thong yip'' (, ) or pinched gold egg yolks is one of the nine auspicious traditional Thai desserts. It is usually made for important occasions and ceremonies such as weddings, ordinations, and housewarmings. ''Thong yip'' was brought to Ayutt ...

'', '' foi thong'', and ''

khanom phing Khanom phing (, ) is a round Thai cookie consisting of tapioca flour, coconut milk, and egg yolk. History ''Khanom phing'' is believed to have been introduced to Thailand by the Portuguese in the 17th century. See also * List of Thai desserts ...

''. These desserts were presented to King Narai and Princess Sudawadi, who was the daughter of King Narai. ''Khanom mo kaeng'' was served to King Narai in a pot which was made from brass.

References

{{Thai cuisine Thai desserts and snacks Portuguese fusion cuisine