Khao Chae - which simply means "rice soaked in water" is one of the few dishes that are considered to be Royal Thai Cuisine, and first made an appearance during the reign of King Rama II. It was created as a remedy to the unbearably hot Bangkok summer weather.
Generally only available during the month of April and only in a handful of restaurants in the country, this was the first time in 10 years that I have seen it. Today I was lucky enough to sample this special type of Thai cuisine at Jim Thompson House Restaurant and Museum.
WHAT IS KHAO CHE?
The Khao Che refers to the rice which has been boiled complete with its husk (parboiled). This rice is then immersed in jasmine scented water and covered with crushed ice. The parboiled rice doesn't go mushy in the water, and remains chewier than regular rice.
The rice is served with a variety of unique side-dishes to compliment the rice, most which tend to be sweeter rather than spicy. Here you can see some of the dishes which were served with ours today include; fresh young peppers stuffed with a minced pork mix and drizzled with egg and fried...Delicious...
We also had a selection of fried balls, including shrimp paste balls which have been rolled in ground coconut and deep fried. These were also particularly good. Ornately carved vegetables such as green mango and Chinese Ginger also compliment the refreshing flavours and add to the eye-catching presentation. Shredded sweet pork and caramalized radish round out the extras.
To finish off the dish it was served with some fragrant Jasmine water, and a small serving of sweet mango and sticky rice.
All in all, this was a very unique and interesting type of food, that I was very thankful to try. As it is the end of April now, I think I will have to wait till next year to find it again, but I will keep my eyes open.
OUR COMPLETE SET
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