Khao Tom Mat

''Khao tom'' (, ) and ''khao tom mat'' (, ) are a popular Laotian and Thai dessert made of sticky rice, ripe banana, coconut milk, all wrapped and steamed-cooked in banana leaves. A similar dessert is enjoyed throughout Southeast Asian countries where it is known as '' num ansom'' in Khmer, ''lepet'' in Indonesian, '' suman'' in Filipino, and '' bánh tét'' and ''bánh chưng'' in Vietnamese.

Variants

This dessert can be either savoury (filled with pork fat and mung bean) or sweet (filled with coconut milk and banana). In Thailand, ''Khao tom mat'' is sometimes colored blue with ''Clitoria ternatea'' flowers.
Typically ''Khao tom mat'' have black beans and Thai banana as the main ingredients.
The ''Khao tom'' and ''Khao tom mat'' various flavors by the ingredients used inside i.e. taro, banana, pork, etc., brought each name to Khao tom mat; Khao tom mat sai pheuak (taro), Khao tom mat sai kluai (banana), Khao tom mat sai mu (pork).

Traditions

In Laos, sticky rice is a national staple food and steeped in the Lao culture and religious traditions. Lao people use sticky rice to prepare ''khao tom'' for ceremonies connected with the plantings, rainfall, harvest and death. ''Khao tom'' is offered during the Lao baci ceremony held to commemorate special occasions, such as starting a new job, marriage, housewarming, birth of a new baby, and celebration of Lao New Year. ''Khao tom'' is prepared for alms giving to monks during the annual religious events in buddhist temples. Furthermore, ''khao tom'' is a popular snack sold during festivals, in markets and food stalls around the country. It was listed in a collection of recipes for favorite dishes of the former Lao royal family written by Phia Sing (1898-1967), the king's personal chef and master of ceremonies.

In Thailand, the ''Sai Krachat'' tradition (ประเพณีใส่กระจาด), also known as ''Suea Krachat'' or ''Soe Krachat'' in Phuan language is a merit-making Buddhist tradition of the Thai Phuan people of Ban Mi District, Lopburi Province. It takes place on the eve of the Great Birth Sermon celebration. One day prior to the Sai Krachat Day, people wrap ''khao tom'' and grind rice for '' khao pun'' rice noodles. The next day is the Sai Krachat Day when people bring things such as bananas, sugar cane, oranges, candles, and joss sticks or other items to put into bamboo baskets at the houses of the people they know, while the hosts bring prepared food to welcome their guests. When the visitors wish to go home, the hosts give ''khao tom mat'' as a souvenir, called ''Khuen Krachat''.

In Thailand, ''khao tom mat'' is the symbol of couples because for boiling usually the leaf wraps are bundled to sets of two. Thai people believe that if a pair of people offer ''khao tom mat'' to monks on Khao Phansa Day, which is at the beginning of the 3 months of Buddhist lent during the rainy season and the time when monks retreat to a monastery and concentrate on Buddhist teachings, married life will be smooth and love will be stable.
''Khao tom mat'' is also a traditional Thai dessert for Ok Phansa Day (the end of Buddhist lent in late October.), but it is then called ''khao tom luk yon'' (). This variant is wrapped up in a young mangrove fan palm leaf () with long-tails to hold before tossing them to a Buddha image, after which monks can carry them away.

In 2014, the Department of Cultural Promotion under the Ministry of Culture registered ''khao tom mat'' as an intangible cultural heritage, in the ''Knowledge and Practices Concerning Nature and the Universe'' category, to prevent them from being lost along with other cultural heritage.

See also

* Htamanè
* Glutinous rice
* Mango sticky rice
* Khao lam
* List of Thai desserts

References

Bibliography

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External links

Juicy Dishes - (Thai) Khao tom

{{Glutinous rice dishes

Glutinous rice dishes
Thai desserts and snacks
Laotian desserts
Stuffed desserts