Khanom buang
Photo: PattayaPatrol · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Khanom buang appears in 18th-century Ayutthaya court records as a noble-household sweet, but the modern street-cart form spread through Bangkok's markets in the late 19th century. The contemporary stall divides the topping into sweet (foi thong egg threads, sweet coconut, meringue) or savoury (shredded shrimp floss, coriander). Or Tor Kor and Chatuchak markets both run dedicated khanom-buang counters where vendors press the rice-flour shell on a hot griddle and lift it crisp from the heat in 60 seconds.

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Common allergens: Egg, Shellfish, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 20Hands-on 45 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • For the shells: 80g rice flour
  • 20g tapioca starch
  • 30g caster sugar
  • 1g salt
  • 1g ground turmeric (for the yellow hue)
  • 250ml water
  • 1 large egg white
  • For the meringue cream: 1 large egg white, 60g caster sugar, 1 pinch cream of tartar
  • For sweet topping: 80g sweet shredded young coconut (or 60g freshly grated coconut tossed with 20g caster sugar)
  • For savoury topping: 60g dried shredded shrimp (kung foi)
  • 30g chopped coriander
  • 1 sliced bird's-eye chilli
  • Neutral oil, for greasing the pan

Method

  1. Make the shells: whisk rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, salt and turmeric. Whisk in the water then the egg white to a thin smooth batter; rest 15 minutes.
  2. Make the meringue cream: whisk the egg white with cream of tartar to soft peaks, gradually add the sugar, whisk to a stiff glossy meringue.
  3. Heat a wide non-stick frying pan or a flat griddle over low heat. Lightly oil the surface with kitchen paper.
  4. Drop a heaped tablespoon of batter onto the hot surface and immediately spread very thin with the back of a spoon, into a 6cm round.
  5. Cook 60 seconds until the edges lift and the centre is dry; do not brown. The shell should be crisp but still pliable enough to fold.
  6. Lift with a thin spatula. Pipe or spoon a small line of meringue cream down the centre.
  7. For sweet: scatter sweet shredded coconut over the meringue.
  8. For savoury: top with shredded shrimp and a pinch of coriander.
  9. Fold the shell in half like a small taco; the meringue holds it shut. Eat within 30 minutes (the shells soften).

Tip from the editors. Keep the pan low; if shells brown, the heat is too high and the texture goes brittle. Cook one shell at a time until you have the feel.

Where to eat khanom buang

Khanom buang in Bangkok

Or Tor Kor market food stalls ★ 4.5

฿ Street food

Or Tor Kor in Bangkok's Chatuchak is the agricultural market with the cleanest food court in the city, som tam stalls, grilled-chicken counters.

TrySom tam, grilled chicken, curry plates

TipThe som tam pla ra stall in the back corner is the canonical order; the durian and mangosteen vendors at the front are seasonal.

Directions

Chatuchak Weekend Market ★ 4.3

฿ Market

Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok's Chatuchak runs Saturday and Sunday only with 15,000 stalls, the city's largest market and a food-court chain.

TipSection 26 and 27 are the food clusters. Arrive by 10:00 to beat the heat; the BTS Mo Chit station is two minutes away.

Directions

Yaowarat Sampeng Lane stalls ★ 4.3

฿ Market

Sampeng Lane in Bangkok's Yaowarat Chinatown is the 250-year-old daytime wholesale alley for dried goods, Chinese-Thai pastes and bird's-nest soup vendors.

TipDaytime trade only; closes by 17:00 before the night market kicks in. Wholesale prices apply for bulk purchases.

Directions

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