Although Thailand is a Southeast Asian country known mainly for its tropical beaches, palaces, and Buddha temples, once you visit the country, you realize that it is also home to a variety of desserts. The
Although Thailand is a Southeast Asian country known mainly for its tropical beaches, palaces, and Buddha temples, once you visit the country, you realize that it is also home to a variety of desserts. The desserts here are both delicious and healthy; if you have a sweet tooth like me this, you struck gold with this post.
People here have a huge love for sweet foods, and they are also keen to prepare low-fat and low-calorie desserts. These exotic Thai desserts use fruits that make them healthier and tastier. Most of them boast of being gluten-free, so even fitness enthusiasts can enjoy these delicious dishes.
1. Glutinous rice with mango
Mango sticky rice is, without a doubt, one of the most popular desserts in Thailand. Chilled mangoes are first sliced fresh and then placed on top of steaming hot glutinous rice to make this dessert. This amazing combination is then put in thick coconut milk, giving it a unique and fascinating taste. This dessert is something you must try during your vacation in the beautiful country of Thailand.
2. Luk Chup
The bright little sweets known as Luk Chup are one of the most colorful cuisines in the world. A typical Thai adaptation of an almond treat introduced to Thailand by the Portuguese in the 1600s, Luk Chup is made by boiling mung beans, sugar, and coconut milk to a pulp, then kneading it into the strange shape of cherries, oranges, watermelon slices, eggs or even cute little miniature pigs!
Colorful jellies are artfully applied as a finishing touch, and the adorable finished products are almost too good to eat. While the rich (and not at all fruity) flavor is memorable, the colorful experience is half the fun. If you are a BL fan like me, then you’ve definitely seen this dessert in Until We Meet Again or even La Cuisine. It is a must-try for all the BL fans out there.
3. Khao niew bing
It is also known as sweet sticky rice wrapped in a banana shell. The process of making Khao niew bing (or Khanom bing) begins by slowly cooking the sticky rice in a traditional Thai basket with coconut milk and sugar before it is molded around pieces of banana or sweet taro root, wrapped in banana leaves, and finally toasted over the fire.
What emerges from the natural wrapping is a typically Thai treat, with a warm, gooey interior and a slightly charred, crispy exterior. Khao niew bing is generally not too sweet, but the coconut and fruit undertones, along with the smoky notes of the toasted banana leaf, make them a worthy accompaniment to morning tea or a late night snack to satisfy both your sweet tooth and your hunger.
4. I-Tim ma Phrao
Although foreigners introduced Western-style ice cream to the Land of Smiles, Thailand has adapted it to create its unique versions. It is also known as coconut ice cream. Some of Thailand’s ice cream treats, like nam Kang sai and tup Tim kab, are more reminiscent of shaved ice. In both cases, they are regular shaved ice with a combination of sweet syrups, coconut milk, sweetened gelatin, or fresh fruit added.
They are tasty, but the best Thai frozen treat is i-Tim mat Phrao. Made with coconut milk rather than cow’s milk, Thai ice cream is both sweet and refreshing, and locals often have it with boiled corn kernels or gingko Biloba sprinkled on top. A more literal representation of the “ice cream sandwich,” many Thais also enjoy i-dim mat Phrao wedged between a piece of folded white bread.
5. Roti
Very popular with Thais, roti deserves a place on the list of must-try Thai sweets. These pancake-like pieces of unleavened bread originated in India and are found throughout South and Southeast Asia. Thai style roti is made by quickly and continuously turning the dough over a hot, greased pan until it reaches the right consistency- flaky on the outside and soft in the center.
The rotis can be ordered plain (tammada) or filled with banana or pineapple, but a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk on top is a must. Watching the quick hands of a roti master at work is an experience in itself.
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