| The colorful array on this plastic plate is made up of traditional Thai sweets, most of them tinted with pigments extracted from flowers. The shiny flower-shaped ones on the left rim of the plate are khanom chan, a chewy favorite made from sticky rice starch, coconut cream, sugar, and other flavorings. A type made using pigment from the indigo-colored dawk anchan is one of the rare examples of really tasty blue food. The yellow sweets toward the center of the plate are all made using egg yolks and other ingredients cooked in clear syrup and given a floral scent. They include thong yib, foy thong, and med khanun. The first of these are round, fluted, and finger-sized. The second are skeins of gold-colored thread made by extruding the egg yolk mixture into hot syrup. The name of the med khanun means "jackfruit seed", because of their shape and texture. Real jackfruit seeds are mealy and have a nutty taste. These mock versions are made of sweetened, scented bean paste coated by syrup-cooked egg yolk. Real artistry is needed to make the glistening miniature fruits on the right. The colorful outsides are made from tinted agar-agar and, like the med khanun, they are filled with flavored bean paste. |