Iced Triangles in Syrup - Nam Cheum น้ำเชื่อม

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Kow Tom Nam Woon, as it’s known in Thailand, has been a hard-to-find dessert these days. Even its old name ‘Gra Jub’, most Thais never heard of. My guess for the disappearing dessert is that as Thailand moves into the modern economy, any products that take less time and make more money are favored. Even a well-regarded dessert like Kow Tom Nam Woon can become extinct.

Kow Tom Nam Woon hits 3 great spots; the chewy texture of the sticky rice, the fragrant sweetness and the cold shaved ice in fiery heat of Thailand. When the air is so thick that you can’t breathe and you’re sweating profusely, having chewy Kow Tom Nam Woon going down to quench your overheated body is like drinking cool nectar from heaven.

Fragrant Syrup

Nam Cheum น้ำเชื่อม

5-6 Servings, Prep Time: 5 Minutes, Total Time: 5 Minutes

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3-4 pieces Pandan Leaf
2-3 drops jasmine essence

Tips and Techniques

You can find the pandan leaves in the frozen section of an Asian market.
Jasmine essence is optional but makes the syrup unmistakably Thai. In Thailand, jasmine is picked before nightfall, before the petals open up and release its fragrance. To make the jasmine water, we float blooming jasmine on the water in a tightly sealed container overnight. Jasmine water is ready for use the next morning.

Method

Microwave Method: In a microwave-safe bowl, add sugar, water and pandan leaf. Heat up the syrup mixture for 2 minutes or until the syrup has boiled. Remove from the microwave and add 2 drops of jasmine essence. Stir to mix everything. Add the syrup to Thai desserts and drinks.

Stovetop Method: Rinse and cut pandan leaf into smaller pieces. You need about 3 to 4 3-inch pieces. Heat the sugar, water and pandan leaf in a pot until boiled. Let the syrup boil until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and drop a few drops of jasmine essence.

Keep the syrup refrigerated and tightly seal for a couple of weeks.

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Iced Triangles in Syrup

Kow Tom Nam Woon ข้าวต้มน้ำวุ้น

4-6 Servings, Prep Time: 30 Minutes, Total Time: 1 Hours30 Minutes

2 cups Sticky Rice
10 ft Banana Leaves

Tips and Techniques

Pack the sticky rice in as much as you can to make it easy to secure it with a toothpick. The tightly packed rice will expand into each other and form a chewy and gummy texture. And this is what make this dessert so delicious.
The key to make Kow Tom Nam Woon’s chewy texture is tightly packing the packet and long boiling time.

Method

You'll need about 30 toothpicks. Soak sticky rice in room temperature water for at least ½ hour. You can also soak it up to overnight.

Clean the banana leaf on both sides by wiping with a damp cloth. With scissors, trim off the dried spots. If your banana leaf is not pliable, you can heat it up to make it softer and break/crack less while folding and securing. You can run the leaf over the flame until it turns bright and shiny green, just a few seconds on each side. You can also blanch the leaf. And believe it or not, you can iron it, too. Tear along the veins, about 2 - 3 inches wide into strips. Cut the end to free the strips from the center stem. The larger width will give you a bigger triangle.

Break toothpicks in half. If you have the ones with sharp both ends, you can get 2 pieces from a single toothpick. You can skew a couple of dumplings onto one skewer.

When the sticky rice is ready, fold one end of the banana leaf into a cone shape, leaving the rest for folding. Please see the vdo on folding. Add the sticky rice into the opening. Try to add as much as you can to get a tight pack. Fold the other side down to close the packet. You should see a triangle taking shape. Fold the banana leaf tightly on to the dumpling. Keep folding until you reach the end. Trim off any excess leaf that is sticking out. Push a toothpick through to secure the packet. Fold more dumplings until all the sticky rice is gone. You'll end up with about 50-60 dumplings.

Put the dumplings in a pot, add water and let it come to a simmer. Let it simmer for 1 hour. Pour out the water and add cold water in. Repeat the process until all the sticky rice dumplings are all cold. Drain and keep in the fridge or remove the wrap and serve with ice and syrup.