Nat goes snooping around for the best khao chae in Bangkok

Nat says

I was amazed at the response to a passing comment I made last week about khao chae, the traditional Thai delicacy of rice steeped in fragrant ice water and accompanied with side dishes. It seems as if no one really knows where to get good khao chae anymore.

Now, you might consider me prejudiced, but the best khao chae I've ever had was my late grandmother's. Of course, I realise that this doesn't tell you where one can get it nowadays but, because I already know what it should taste like, I feel I can comment on what one should seek on a quest for the best khao chae.

The origin of what's always been thought of as a uniquely Thai dish isn't Thai at all. Apparently it was the Mon - who were here before the Thais migrated from southern China - who came up with the idea of serving rice in cold water as a means of relief from the heat of the summer.

The person credited with popularising khao chae is ML Neung Nilrat, the court chef for King Rama V. Unfortunately, like most Thai court dishes, the process of making it is highly labour-intensive and requires a great deal of skill. That's probably why the art of home-cooked khao chae is practically lost nowadays.

If khao chae is to be made properly, one shouldn't even be using Thai fragrant rice. According to the Asia Rice Foundation, one should use the firmer khao taa haeng variety because the grains don't get bloated and soft in water. The cooking process is also different for this type of rice. I remember my grandmother taking the rice, wrapping it up in cheesecloth and steaming it over a pot of boiling water. Only then was the rice spooned into individual bowls of cold fragrant water and served.

I remember my grandmother telling me that when she was young, in the days before refrigeration, the only way to cool water was to put it in a clay pot and infuse it with jasmine flowers and fragrant candle wax before burying the pot in the ground. Now, for all the pride in her cooking prowess, I know my grandmother didn't do that at all. Cool water with some crushed ice and a few jasmine blossoms was good enough for her.

The side dishes that came with khao chae are unique and don't really taste very good when served with normal steamed rice. It's that strange combination of cold rice and pungent, spicy, crispy meat and vegetables that makes the meal. The most common side dishes are deep-fried, lightly battered shrimp paste balls, deep-fried and lightly battered shallots stuffed with minced fish, sweet pork or beef, sweet julienned radish fried with egg and deep-fried battered green peppers stuffed with a mixture of pork and shrimp.

The most important, and by far the most difficult to make, are the shrimp paste balls. They should be firm, have the fragrance of fermented shrimp and be inherently sweet. I recall my grandmother using all kinds of ingredients to make the shrimp paste every summer. Nowadays, people settle for commercially made shrimp paste, and you can really taste the difference.

The next most difficult dish is the stuffed shallots. I've never seen my grandmother make these, but I know the shallots had to be hollowed out before the minced fish, which was cooked to a powder, could be pushed in. Getting the ratio of fish to shallots right can only be mastered with years of experience.

The rest of the side dishes seemed quite straightforward, except for the egg batter. The batter would have to be fried first in strings, which would then be used to wrap the stuffed green peppers, resulting in a light, crispy and spicy counterpoint to the cold rice. My grandmother once saw someone using a funnel to do this and derisively said it would result in a thick, tough batter.

My biggest problem is where am I ever going to get khao chae the way my grandmother made it? Though I don't think it's possible, I've decided that the next few weeks are going to be devoted to a khao chae crawl. 

However, since I made this decision just one day before writing this column, I only got around to visiting one restaurant - Ruen Khun Noi. Though no restaurant can ever match my grandmother's talents with khao chae, I must admit that Ruen Khun Noi came up with some pretty good shrimp paste balls.

I also plan to try my luck at the following restaurants:

Baan Khanitha, (02) 287 2493: At the corner of Sathorn Road and Soi Suan Phlu, this popular Thai restaurant is holding a khao chae promotion all month.

Benjarong, Dusit Thani Hotel, (02) 2360450: Although closed on Sundays, Benjarong is serving khao chae all this month.

Erawan Tea Room, Erawan Bangkok, (02) 254 1234, extension 3171:  The entrance to the mall is near the corner of Ploenchit and Rajdamri roads.

Khao Hom Thai Culinary Treasure, (02) 941 1411, (089) 813 2343: This is a renowned cooking school with branches in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Khao chae are available for takeaway, priced at Bt250 each.

Ruen Khun Noi, Sukhumvit Soi 4, (02) 255 6049: A lovely restaurant with beautifully home-cooked food.

Sala Rim Nam, Oriental Hotel, (02) 236 0400: The restaurant serves khao chae daily and takeaways are also available at the Oriental Shop in Siam Paragon; L'Espace de l'Oriental at the Emporium and Salons de l'Oriental at Isetan and Central Chidlom until April 30.

Spice Market, Four Seasons Hotel, (02) 250 1000: The khao chae promotion here ends on April 17. Booking would be a good idea.

Wakamala, 43 Sukhumvit Soi 8, (02) 256 0328: I haven't tried this restaurant, but have heard good things about it.

White Elephant, JW Marriott Hotel, (02) 656 7700: Khao chae is part of their lunch and dinner buffets during weekdays and is available a la carte on Saturdays and Sundays all this month.

Fellow columnist Catherine Bowers will return in two weeks.

Want an opinion on something? Cat and Nat can be contacted at NnaSWild@aol.com.