As a family, we have been to Thailand numerous times, but every time we would leave I felt like we had missed something. Every trip was great, and we had visited every historic site and interesting attraction on our list and yet I still felt like something was missing. We always try to have an authentic experience wherever we go and I felt like we just weren’t completely achieving that when visiting Thailand.
On our most recent trip I told myself we would learn something new and be a part of a Thai tradition that matters. I thought a great way to do this would be learning to make an authentic Thai dish. Something we could take part in making and also take back with us to make once we got home. If you have traveled you probably know that not all ingredients can be found all around the world and some are really difficult to come by once you head back home. I wanted something we could recreate to bring a little piece of Thailand home with us and something we could also share with you!
While shopping in markets I often saw something that to my eyes resembled shredded carrots. I immediately thought “What is that?” the kind lady in the store said “Foi Thong”. While that didn’t clarify what it was it definitely piqued my interest.
While staying with The Dusit Suites Hotel Ratchadamri we were offered a chance at making this amazing dish and I was thrilled! Little did I know what we had in store for us or what an amazing experience this would be for our whole family. A great quote I’ve heard is “Food is our common ground, a universal experience”. In this universal experience we can create memories for a lifetime. Our kids might forget the name Foi Thong, but they will always remember how it tasted, what they felt while they made it, and the people that guided them through the process of making it.
As we prepared to make Foi Thong I learned that it is an immensely popular dessert dish in Thailand and it’s served at weddings and other ceremonies for good luck. It is also really sweet and you can definitely get carried away when eating it!
We also learned that it is naturally colored by the duck eggs used to make it. I honestly thought food coloring was used due to the bright orange appearance, but it’s completely natural. The name of this popular dessert comes from Foi meaning “thread” and Thong meaning “gold”. Definitely the perfect name since it really looks like threads of gold.
If you decide to have your own Thai adventure you can find Foi Thong in most stores or you can do what we did and book a cooking class. You can also easily make this amazing dish right in your kitchen! Below is the recipe that you can easily make yourself and bring a little bit of Thailand into your home.
Ingredients:
13 Duck Egg Yolks (you can use chicken eggs, but keep in mind the color will not be the same)
3 Chicken egg yolks
2 tbsp. of vegetable oil
Cooking Syrup:
2 ½ cups sugar
4 cups water
Pandan Leaf – you can buy these through Amazon or substitute a tsp. of vanilla extract
Soaking Syrup:
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
Preparation:
• Separate your egg yolks and egg whites
• Beat egg yolks and oil together till smooth
• Mix and start boiling your simple cooking syrup (make sure all sugar is dissolved) If a Pandan leaf is used remove before adding your egg mixture. Best results in a non-stick pan.
• Make your soaking syrup in separate bowl that will be used after the cooking process.
• Pour mixture into a piping bag and make a pinhead sized hole for the mixture to pour through. Too big of a hole and you won’t get the desired thread effect.
• Start making your “threads” by making a circular motion around your pot of cooking syrup while gently squeezing your mixture into the pot. Do this 20-30 rounds per one piece.
• Let cook 2-3 minutes and use 2 skewers or chopsticks to remove from the pot.
• Lightly dip your threads into the soaking syrup and let excess liquid drip off.
• Place on an even non slip surface. (Keep in mind that if small children are helping it might still be a little hot from cooking.)
• Have your threads hang over one chopstick or skewer while using the second one to apply pressure to start rolling your Foi Thong. Keep rolling until your Foi Thong is completely rolled.
The end result will be a beautiful dish that you can share with friends and family! Everyone will love and it will become a new favorite for sure!
Thank you again to The Dusit Suites Hotel Ratchadamri and the amazing chefs that helped our family make and discover this amazing dish!
Be sure to also check out our families experience staying with The Dusit Suites Hotel Ratchadamri.
