fedification.com

Inside Khanom Tang Tak

Phimai, Thailand – As I was walking through the Phimai evening market, a sugary waft enveloped me.  It smelled European.  It smelled like waffles.  It smelled divine.  Soon I found myself standing in front of a woman making a khanom I hadn’t yet seen – a huge fluffy pancake filled with shredded coconut, sugar and sesame seeds.  It’s called khanom tang tak or poorman’s pancake, which is apt at 10 baht (about 28 cents) for a massive head-sized portion.  She poured a frothy rice flour batter onto small cast-iron griddles, let the batter set until the exterior is golden crispy, dropped on some shredded coconut, sprinkled on a mixture of sugar and sesame seeds and then loosened the edges with a metal spatula, folded the pancake and set it on a metal rack.  The result is a supremely fluffy and moist pancake, a rarity in Thailand where most of the desserts are rather dense and chewy.  The pancake itself is blandly sweet, but the combination of sugar and coconut, offset by the nuttiness of the sesame seeds was delicious.

Khanom Tang Tak Ingredients (Rice Flour Batter, Shredded Coconut, Sugar & Sesame Seeds)

Folding Khanom Tang Tak

Lifting Khanom Tang Tak Out of the Pan

Khanom Tang Tak

Also in the Phimai market…

Lesser Ginger

Pig’s Head

Sausage, Egg and Rice Dinner to Go

Herbs and Vegetables

Baby Pineapples

Chickens

Organ Meats & Tongue