Koh Kret

            This time I’m going to talk about my Thailand trip. I went to one interesting place not too far from Bangkok…..call Koh Kret.  Koh Kret is a little island in Cho Phraya river 20 km north of Bangkok in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand.  How to get to Koh Kret is very easy just take a bus, van or taxi to Pak Kret then take a boat to Koh Kret.

Most of the people in this island have Mon tribes that are still very strict in their traditional and culture. The famous thing in Koh kret is pottery and the traditional loyal Thai desserts.  In the past around Rama V visited this island.  The royal chef needed people to help in the kitchen, so they trained people on this island how to cook like the royal chef.  That’s how the people on Koh Kret know traditional Thai royal culinary and they have past it down generation to generation which still continue it until now.

Fried Flower

           I have to say I have always loved this place because I can try different Thai foods and desserts not far from my home.  So lets get started on my food trip with fried flower this is one of the most famous snacks of Kho Kret. They use all kinds of flower and vegetables that you can eat and dip it in batter and then have it deep fried and served with sweet chili sauce costing around 40 Thai baht(around $1.5)  The next vender/restaurant is a coffee shop that mixes between new style decoration and the use of old fashion techniques making Thai tea and Thai coffee.  It’s one interesting coffee shop.  After that coffee shop I needed to get back to the pier and take a tour boat.

"Bann Kun Ael" Thai Dessert House

For this boat tour it cost me 60 Thai baht (2 dollars) for 1.30-2 hour trip with 3 stops.  First stop at 1^St Thai dessert house called “ Bann Som Chai” and The second stop is 2^nd  Thai dessert house called “Bann Kun Ael”. Both  places are famous home made Thai dessert places in Kho Kret, but the difference is “ Bann Som Chai” is a little bit cheaper because they make food in mass product.  For“ Bann Kun Ael” they have a demo show how to make Thai good luck dessert(I will talk about that next blog).

Another thing that “Bann Khon Ael” have is the restaurant that has old fashioned food which is hard to find.  One food I tried this time was called “ Khao Chae” : Khao Chae is one set of royal Thai food that has been served for royalty in the past.  They have this food just in the summer time only.  Main item of the set is rice in the ice cold flower water ( Flower water : the water that has pedals placed in it to absorb the perfume of the flower) served with all kinds of side dishes (today tried some of them) they have stuffing pepper, shredded sweet pork, crunchy noodle, sweet dried radish, fried shrimp paste.  I know they all don’t sound good together but believe me this restaurant makes it very good.  It helps cooling down on a hot summer day…costing me about 100 Thai baht (3.5 dollars) for the last stop is a temple called “Wad Yai Sa Nam Pa”. Unfortunately when I went there all of the water market was already gone, so I didn’t see anything. After the boat tour we got back on to the island and most of the venders had already closed.  By that time me and my family were so tired from walking in the hot weather( about 98-100 degree) so we decided to cross the river and go back home with a hand full of Thai desserts for the next day….