1190. From JIRCAS Southeast Asia Liaison Office: Offerings of Rice Cakes for Chinese New Year

January 29, 2025 was Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is the lunar new year in China, and is also celebrated in Thailand. During Chinese New Year, steamed rice cakes made from glutinous rice flour are eaten as offerings.

There are several "New Years" in Thailand, which vary depending on the region, ethnicity, and religion. There are three major New Years: the new year of the Gregorian calendar (January 1), Thai New Year (Songkran, April 13-15), and Chinese New Year.

The Chinese New Year is based on the Chinese lunar calendar, so the date changes every year, but this year it was January 29. There are many people in Thailand who have roots in China, such as overseas Chinese, and events to celebrate the Chinese New Year are held in various places every year.

It seems that people finish their major cleaning two days before the Chinese New Year and buy offerings. Offerings include Khanom Kaeng (sweet steamed rice cakes in banana leaf cups), Khanom Thian (rice dumplings wrapped in banana leaves in a triangle shape), and other items such as gold and silver paper.

This time, the rice cake offerings Khanom Kaeng and Khanom Thian were being sold in the city, so I bought some and tried them.

Khanom Kaeng (Khanom = sweets, Kaeng = basket)
Khanom Kaeng means "sweets in a basket" and is rice cakes in a container (basket) made of banana leaves. It has a distinctive red dot in the middle, so you can easily tell when you see it. It has a moderate sweetness and a chewy texture. It also has the aroma of the leaves and tastes just like the rice dumplings eaten on Children's Day in Japan. Even if it hardens, if you put it in the microwave, it will stretch like freshly pounded mochi.

Khanom Thian (Khanom = sweets, Thian = candle)
Khanom Thian is called candle-like sweets and is wrapped in banana leaves and shaped like a triangle. The mochi has sweet and salty fillings, and these two types are sold together. There seem to be various fillings, but the one I ate this time was the inside of the sweet one, which was coconut powder seasoned with sugar, but I didn't really know what the salty one was.