Khun Yai Thi Rak Khong Phom!

Sawaddee Khrap! Sabai dee mai khrap? 😀

If you’ve read my post last night, then you might have noticed that I had a cold from the sneezing and what not. Today, I was feeling worse, so I had to miss a day of school. I bet everyone in Hazel must be missing me loads! Missing a day of school is like the end of the world for me!! 😦

When I woke up, I had a runny nose, itchy eyes and a nasty cough. I was struggling to get out of bed. Then it hit me!!! If my grandma was here, she would’ve definitely cooked some special food to comfort me. 😦 When it comes to moments like this, I wish that khun yai thi rak khong phom (my beloved grandma) was here to take care of me. It’s the worst feeling ever! 😦

Khun yai thi rak khong phom is originally from Phetchaburi, Thailand. I call her Dadijee/Dadi. She is famous for her “magic touch” in the kitchen! 😉 Whenever she cooks, there will definitely be some love sprinkled onto the food. So, I guarantee that it will be the best food that you will ever eat!! Whenever she’s around, the table will be full of mouth-watering food cooked by her with love. Even Mr Dad’s and Mrs Mom’s friends love her food so much and whenever she leaves, they will be crying their eyes out. 😀 But what to do, because she hates winter so much! It’s going to be a while until we can finally say Sawaddee Khrap to summer!! 🙂

Thanks to khun yai thi rak khong phom, almost everyone in the family inherits her “magic touch”! Khun pu thi rak khong phom (my beloved grandpa) makes the best Milo in the world! Both Dr Auntie and Mr OCD Uncle are very skilled when it comes to cooking traditional Thai food, just like khun yai thi rak khong phom. But, Mrs Mom is a little different. She can take traditional recipes and put a modern twist to them too! Even my Uncle Pawsome is a cook-a-holic! He makes the best fried noodles in the world!! The most skilled cook in the family kitchen is my Auntie Kawaii. She is a professional baker that has supplied cakes for weddings, birthdays, baby showers, etc. Even my pawsome self loves cooking too! I can still remember when I was two and Uncle Pawsome bought me a mini kitchen for my birthday.

Now, back to khun yai thi rak khong phom. I’m being very emotional today due to my illness. I am craving for KHANUM BUA LOI!!! It’s my all time favourite Thai dessert made by khun yai thi rak khong phom. Khanum Bua Loi is a traditional Thai dessert which is tiny rice ball dumplings served in sweet and fragrant coconut milk. Khanum Bua Loi means ‘Floating Lotus’. But my version is different. Because of it’s look, I translated it into the English language as Floating Pearls. Hmm, sounds very appetising. Sometimes, when khun yai thi rak khong phom comes over to visit me, we make Khanum Bua Loi together. And when she’s not here, I make it with Dr. Auntie and no matter who I make it with, it’s great fun. If you pawsome peeps want to make it too, here’s the video for the recipe:

As I was doing my research for Khanum Bua Loi, I came across a folk tale related to this favourite dessert of mine. Once, there was a poor couple who were expecting a baby. The wife wanted to help her husband earn some money, so she started making Khanum Bua Loi to be sold at the Bangkok-Noi Canal. One day, a terrible accident happened and she fell into the canal while rowing her boat. Her husband searched for her for many days until one day, her body was found floating, stuck at the steps of a temple. Then, her body was kept inside the temple. Many people would come and visit her grave to ask for a hint of lottery and lots of people have actually won it. Days later, her body was stolen from her grave and disappeared forever!

Thai Version: Khun Yai Thi Rak Khong Phom

Khun yai thi rak khong phom,

Laew Khanum Bua Loi,

Mai mee khrai thi saamad ca yaek dai,

Si daeng, si lerng, si khiew, si namngen,

Ya lerm si muang duai!

Yai laea khanad lek,

San laea sung,

Khanum wan samlap thuk khon!

Khun yai thi rak khong phom, 

Thur pen phuying Thai thi mok som,

Mii marayat thi dii,

Thur pen khun yai thi dii thi sut,

Thur tham ahaan thi dii thi sut,

Thur pen khru soan yoga thi di thi sut duai,

Khun yai thi rak khong phom,

Thur mii khunaphap thii yai dee,

Thii thuk khon mai saamad tanthan,

Thuk khon yak kin ahaan aroi thi yai tham!

Khun yai thi rak khong phom,

Phom rak khun yai maak cing cing nah khrap!!!

English Translation: My Beloved Grandma

My beloved grandma,

And floating lotus,

You can’t separate them,

Red, yellow, green and blue,

Don’t forget the purple too!

Big and small,

Short and tall,

A yummy treat for everyone!

My beloved grandma,

She’s a proper Thai lady,

With good manners,

She’s the best grandma ever,

She makes good food,

She’s a great yoga teacher too!

My beloved grandma,

You’ve got so many good qualities,

That everybody can’t resist,

To take a bite out of your food that so delish!

My beloved grandma,

I love you so much!!!

p/s: Khobkhun maak khun yai thi rak khong phom!

p/p/s: Thank you Mrs Mom for helping to translate my poem to Thai language. Phom rak khun mae maak thi sud nai lok!!

*Media Source: Google Images & Youtube*