‘KHAO CHAE’ Ancient Cool-off Menu to welcome Songkran

Formerly, Khao Chae is a Mon menu that is popularly cooked to give alms to monks during the Songkran Festival. Later, this recipe was spread to the Royal Palace and cooked then offered to King Rama V. When King Rama V traveled to Phetchaburi, Khao Chae was introduced to the palace people and was liked by those palace people. Therefore, Mon Khao Chae was adapted to be Thai Khao Chae, but this dish is so hard to cook. The more you would like it to taste good, the more you have to care about every step. Thus, the top-grade Khao Chae was only in the palace, the villagers would barely cook this dish due to its difficulty. 

The uniqueness of Khao Chae is to mill the cooked rice till it is clear, soak the rice in cold water that has the good smell of flowers, and eat it with side dishes. Originally, the side dishes of Khao Chae consisted of only 3 menus which are sweet stir-fried spotted eagle ray, shrimp paste balls, and sweet stir-fried radish. Later, the other 3 menus were added which are stuffed shallots, stuffed banana pepper, and shredded pork or beef, a total of side dishes of 6 menus. 

The Secret to the Delicious of Royal Khao Chae

Khao Chae: To deliciously eat Khao Chae, it is a must to pay attention starting from flower-floating water or candle-scented selection. It can be any flower such as jasmine, bread flower, ylang-ylang flower, and Damask rose. The secret is not to bruise the flower petals because it can cause an unpleasant smell. It needs to be baked with fresh flowers 3-4 times to make it smell good.

Shrimp Paste Balls: This side dish takes hours to stew depending on the recipe. Some are stuffed with shredded coconut, but the original recipe is made with coconut milk and grilled catfish pounded with many other ingredients such as shallots, and finger root, stir-fried until dried. Then, dry the oil because when it is soaked in eggs to fry, it may cause a smell.

Stuffed Shallots: The filling stuffed in the shallots is made from dried snakehead fish which are steamed and smashed with other ingredients. Dried snakehead fish is in both stuffed shallots and stuffed banana pepper. The middle of the shallots is scooped out and replaced with dried snakehead fish, battered and fried with shallot skin to make it tuft, therefore, it is important to select single-clove shallots.

Stuffed Banana Pepper: This dish consists of minced pork, and shrimp, mixed with coriander root, garlic, and pepper. It must be mixed and left overnight to make the meat chewy. The next morning, stuffed the filling in the banana pepper and steamed it. After that, sprinkle Rhum (Egg Thread rolls). Some recipes use dried Rhum to sprinkle on the pan without using oil.

Sweet Stir-fried Radish: The technique to deliciousness is not over-stir-fried. Slowly stir fry the radish alternately with sprinkled sugar in it till the sugar tightens the radish. Use medium fore while stir-frying and do not burn the sugar. The other important thing is the radish has to be glossy. Some recipes stir-fry radish with eggs, it is recommended to use duck eggs. 

Many people may wonder if Khao Chae can be eaten in any other season other than summer or not. The heart of Khao Chae is to extinguish the heat, not focusing on the menu with rich coconut milk so that the stomach can balance itself. There is nothing in Khao Chae that makes your stomach tight. There’s no restriction in eating Khao Chare in other seasons but you may not get a full set of Khao Chae.