It's khao chae season: How to eat Thailand's classic summer treat

Tue, 03/20/2012 - 07:40 — Anonymous by Kitty Chirapongse As summer
approaches, Thailand is starting to get unbearably toasty. One of the few
redeeming qualities of the hot season is that restaurants all over the
country will soon start serving the delicious but complicated summer dish,
khao chae. Khao chae -- which means "rice soaked in water" -- made its first
appearance in the court of King Rama II as a means of relief during the hot
season. In fact, Thai celebrity Chef McDang, who grew up in a Bangkok palace,
argues that it's the only Thai dish that can truly be considered "royal Thai
cuisine."  Khao chae was adapted from a simple Mon recipe into the complex,
multi-dish variety found today. And though you don't need to be a member of
high society to enjoy it, due to the elaborate process required to make the
side dishes it's only widely available from mid-March until the end of April.
To help the uninitiated get a taste of this popular treat here's a quick
guide to khao chae. Side dishes include deep-fried kapi balls and
pork-stuffed green peppers drizzled with egg. What is it? There are three
parts to khao chae: rice, jasmine-scented water (hence the floating flowers)
and crushed ice. The rice is parboiled (boiled with its husk in tact) to keep
its shape so it doesn't get mushy when immersed in water, making it chewier
than regular cooked rice.read more