Destination
Pattaya
The story
Namkhaeng sai ("shaved ice") is Bangkok's summer dessert answer to Filipino halo-halo and Malaysian ais kacang: a mountain of shaved ice on a wide shallow plate, drizzled with sweetened coconut cream and a specifically Thai syrup (usually palm sugar or brown sugar syrup), then topped with the customer's chosen selection from a display case of 10 to 15 sweet toppings — sweetened red beans, sweet corn, tapioca pearls, grass jelly, sago, boiled peanuts, jackfruit strips, boiled sweet potato cubes, sweetened black beans, thapthim krop water chestnut rubies. Sold at every Bangkok dessert cart and every Thai food-court cold-dessert counter — a specifically Thai order-your-own-toppings interactive dessert. The Chatuchak Weekend Market has famous namkhaeng sai stalls.
Method
Warm coconut cream, palm sugar, salt and pandan in a saucepan until sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Cool. Remove pandan.
In a small pan, combine palm sugar, water and pandan. Simmer 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool. Remove pandan.
Arrange each topping in a small bowl at serving time.
If you have an ice shaver, shave 100 to 150g of ice per serving. Otherwise, use crushed ice from a blender (a rough substitute).
Pile shaved ice in each dessert bowl. Drizzle each pile with 3 tbsp coconut sauce and 2 tbsp palm sugar syrup.
Each diner chooses 3 to 5 toppings. Spoon each topping onto the ice.
Finish with an extra small drizzle of coconut cream and a scatter of any decorative toppings.
Eat with a long spoon. Best within 5 minutes — the ice melts fast in a warm room.
Tips
- Choose toppings for variety. Aim for a mix of textures (chewy, crunchy, soft) and colours.
- Coconut cream + palm sugar sauce is the classical base. Do not substitute regular sugar syrup.
- Serve immediately. Ice melts fast.
- Ice shaver machine is worth buying if you make this often. Cheap ones are available for home use.
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