Piper J. Drake | Three Thai Foods Piper Craves

November 9, 2015

I do a lot of cooking when I'm home but there's a few dishes that I just don't have the kitchen space or equipment to make on a whim. They're tasty and I crave them fairly often, but I only really get them when I go back to Thailand.

Back when I was younger, I went to Thailand in the summers to spend time with my grandparents. It was a lot easier to spend weeks or months at a time over there. With adulthood came a day job and my trips back to see family are less frequent. But here's a peek at some of the food I love when I do get to visit.

Kanom Beung ขนมเบื้อง

As Thai Street Food goes, these crisp little crepes are surprisingly complex with a dollop of coconut cream mixture and savory filling. The filling could be either Foi Thong, golden threads made from egg yolks and sugar beaten and drizzled into boiling sugar water to cook, or a mixture of ground dried shrimp.

Saku Sai Moo สาคูไส้หมู

These appetizers are labor intensive but so tasty. The outer layer is mini tapioca balls wrapped around a savory meat and nut filling, steamed and brushed with garlic oil. Served with fresh greens, these were always popular when my family hosted parties in my childhood. I got pretty good at making them.

But as I mentioned, they're labor intensive so you want to make a lot if you're going to make them and I don't remember them freezing well, so I don't make them often here in the US.

Kanom Krok ขนมครก

These treats are served around breakfast or brunch time in the street markets and are hard to describe. There's no breakfast or dessert quite like these in American cooking as far as I know. They are little cups of a thin, crispy outer layer with a super soft inner coconut layer. A few sweet kernels of corn or savory slivers of spring onion are sometimes added but they're just as good on their own.

Confession: I *have* made Kanom Krok and have a recipe for it available on my alter-identity's website.

In HIDDEN IMPACT, Maylin Cheng makes some fairly labor intensive dishes too but I made sure to give her a great kitchen to work in while she stress-cooked. I hope you'll all enjoy the adventure (in cuisine and romantic suspense).

Giveaway

What foods do you crave that reminds you of family and home? Leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win a $10 gift card to winner's choice of Amazon or B&N.

About Piper J. Drake

Piper J. Drake (or “PJ”) began her writing career as “PJ Schnyder” writing sci-fi & paranormal romance and steampunk. She has recently received the FF&P PRISM award for her work as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award. Now, PJ is exploring the complexity of romantic suspense, incorporating her interests in mixed martial arts and the military into her writing.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | YouTube | Goodreads | Blog

About HIDDEN IMPACT

He’s not the hero she’s looking for

As part of the elite Centurion Corporation team, military-veteran-turned- mercenary Gabriel Diaz is a natural defender. He’ll do anything to ensure a mission is successful. Anything but get emotionally invested—he learned the hard way that can be deadly. Easy bodyguard jobs in between the more challenging missions are all he’s interested in now.

Maylin Cheng is desperate and running out of time. Her younger sister has gone missing but no one seems to take her concern seriously. Her last hope lies in asking an aloof bodyguard for help. He dismisses her outright, but all that changes when she is almost killed in a not-so- accidental hit-and-run right before his eyes.

As Maylin leans on Gabriel, she begins to rely on him for more than just her safety. But as their attraction grows, so does the danger surrounding them. When the elaborate web they’re trapped in unravels, Gabriel will do anything to protect them. Even if that means putting his heart in the crosshairs.

Comments

44 comments posted.

Re: Piper J. Drake | Three Thai Foods Piper Craves

I LOVE New York pizza and you can't get it here in Florida! It is the best!
(Bonnie Capuano 9:02am November 6, 2015)

Morel mushrooms, which we picked every Spring!
(Richard Burr 9:26am November 6, 2015)

Peanut butter cookies.
(Marissa Yip-Young 9:56am November 6, 2015)

Pizza and spaghetti.
(Edward Washington 10:02am November 6, 2015)

Fried chicken and dumplings.
(Pam Howell 11:03am November 6, 2015)

My mothers homemade vegetable soup and homemade yeast doughnuts. Oh so yummy !!!
(Joan Thrasher 11:32am November 6, 2015)

Homemade blintzes and applesauce.
(Sharon Berger 11:54am November 6, 2015)

Delicious fried chicken makes me think about my mother.
(Anna Speed 11:57am November 6, 2015)

I crave my Mother's home made bread with cinnamon and raisins,
which is the only baked good of hers that I haven't attempted to
make since she's passed on. I'm the only one in the Family that
has continued to bake the other items she was known for, as well
as cook a lot of the dishes I ate growing up. Several of them
are quite involved, since I'm of Polish descent. Your book
sounds really good, and I would love to read it before I have to
get involved with my Christmas baking. The dishes that you wrote
about sound really yummy, and I wish that I could make some of
those, too!!
(Peggy Roberson 12:12pm November 6, 2015)

My mother made a boneless fried chicken that was out of this world!
(Angela Daffern 3:46pm November 6, 2015)

My momma makes the best homemade bread!!!! We also eat Thanksgiving dinner at her house every year. When I walk in the door, the smell of the different foods mingle together. I'm craving it just typing these words!
(Amy Morgan 4:08pm November 6, 2015)

Cakes and pies, they like to bake.
(Deb Pelletier 9:36pm November 6, 2015)

Your treats sound delicious! Unfortunately, I'm a stress
eater not stress cooker! Cocoa fudge makes me think of the
holidays. You know, the kind that you cook and stir
constantly on the stove until the consistency is just right,
otherwise it will be too hard or too soft. I haven't made
it for years because mine was always too...
(Betty Woodrum 9:55am November 9, 2015)

It's not what I want...it's what the family wants and it's my chocolate chip pecan cookies. It's always a must!
(Bonnie Capuano 10:42am November 9, 2015)

Always my grandmother's pumpkin pie!
(Colleen Conklin 11:42am November 9, 2015)

Dim Sum reminds me most of family. The many dishes or
dumplings, buns, fried pastries both sweet and savory with
pots of tea and lots of chatter.
(G. Bisbjerg 12:41pm November 9, 2015)

tacos, spaghetti, chicken and yellow rice
(Leann Griffiths 3:56pm November 9, 2015)

stuffed peppers
(Renee Rousseau 6:01pm November 9, 2015)

Well, chicken and dumplings. My Mom made the best. Miss her
and my Dad more during the holidays.
(Debra Turner 6:02pm November 9, 2015)

My mom's handmade sweets/desserts!!!! SO DELICIOUS!!!
(Lily Shah 9:00pm November 9, 2015)

My one grandmother's perogies, and the other grandmother's
cabbage rolls. I've tasted none better.
(Deb Philippon 9:48am November 10, 2015)

I have a lot of great cooks in my family so it's hard to
choose just one favorite!
(Mary Hay 11:10am November 10, 2015)

I was raised on a ranch. Nothing says "ranch food" or home to me as much as a
good steak, beans and cornbread.
(Joy Isley 1:00pm November 10, 2015)

my mom makes the best curry rice ever, even if she is italian. i tried to make it in the states but with one missing ingredient it was never the same.
(Sarah Hansrote 4:45pm November 10, 2015)

My mom made really awesome oatmeal cake with a caramelized topping ....
(Michelle Bauer 1:04am November 11, 2015)

My Mom always made the best fudge and when she passed away she gave me the recipe so it's now something I do for my children!
(Bonnie Capuano 10:42am November 11, 2015)

a real good southern pecan pie. warm from the oven.
(Angela Parrish 2:53pm November 11, 2015)

I miss my mom's mush. She combined leftover beef gravy and leftover roast beef (cooked in a pressure cooker to make it stringy). It was a way of making food go further in our poor home 50+ years ago now. Put that mush/gravy on bread and OMG it tasted good.
(Elaine Seymour 7:19pm November 11, 2015)

Well I still live with my parents so I'm still having my mom's cooking. After college, gotta save on rent so I can repay those loans.
(Lisa L. 10:49pm November 11, 2015)

My mother's and mother-in-law's pieragi which are bacon onion crescent rolls. delish! always served at holiday time
(Sandra Stipins 12:20pm November 12, 2015)

Can't wait to read Hidden Impact.
(Mary Pitre 9:33pm November 12, 2015)

Mary November 12, 2015.

A real homemade lemon meringue like grandma made.
(Mary Pitre 9:36pm November 12, 2015)

There are a few choices for me but the best is her chocolate chip pecan cookies!! YUMMY!!!!
(Bonnie Capuano 8:58am November 13, 2015)

I crave Pad Thai!
(Denise Austin 1:30pm November 13, 2015)

My mother sometimes makes homemade beef stew with a thick gravy. She also makes hamburger pie. Never tried Thai food. I did try an Asian dish that had an orange sauce and another that had a peanut sauce. I didn't like them. I think they were Lean Cuisines. I enjoy Lo Mein or the hard La Choy noodles but don't like rice.
(Michelle Fidler 4:40pm November 13, 2015)

Tater tot hotdish and toffee bars. The bars are super easy to make if you
have a stand mixer to beat the chocolate frosting. The base only has 5
ingredients that are always on hand.
(Laura Gullickson 5:38pm November 13, 2015)

My mom's peanut butter cornflake cookies. Thanks.
(Jana B 6:52pm November 13, 2015)

my Mom's pot roast!
(Diane Sallans 8:38pm November 13, 2015)

My mom liked to bake cakes and snacks.
(Deb Pelletier 8:56pm November 13, 2015)

BBQ , I'm from the south and BBQ is served at all family events
(Carmen Rexford 2:38am November 14, 2015)

lasagne
(Dianne McVetty 7:01am November 14, 2015)

My mother's cherry cobbler from our cherry trees.
(Gloria Zimmer 7:55am November 14, 2015)

We were stationed in Bangkok, Thailand for a couple of years so
there are a few things that remind me of there. At a chinese
resterant, we went there a lot, sweet and sour pork. And fresh
pineapple from the street. for home, would be mashed potatoes.
(Nancy Luebke 1:34pm November 14, 2015)

My grandfather always made homemade wine that he served on special occasions. It was amazing!
(Nancy Marcho 3:59pm November 14, 2015)

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