Kluai buat chi

Thai bananas simmered in sweetened coconut milk

Origin: Thailand

From the journey of Banana.

Kluai buat chi (กล้วยบวชชี) translates poetically as 'bananas ordained as nuns' (a reference to the white coconut milk that wraps the bananas like a nun's white habit. This gentle, restorative dessert is one of the oldest and most beloved of Thai sweets, found throughout the country from temple kitchens to street carts. It is often prepared as an offering at Buddhist temples, where its simplicity and purity are valued. The dish reflects the Thai kitchen's genius for combining just a few ingredients) banana, coconut milk, salt, and sugar (into something greater than the sum of its parts. The salt is crucial: it is not there to make the dish salty but to amplify the sweetness of the coconut and the banana. The bananas are barely cooked) just warmed through in the gentle coconut broth: so they remain firm and perfumed. The dish is traditionally served warm, though it is also eaten at room temperature.

Ingredients

Main

  • 4 firm ripe bananas (kluai nam wa or regular bananas), peeled and cut into 3 pieces each

Coconut broth

  • 400 ml coconut milk (1 can)
  • 200 ml water

Sweetening

  • 3 tbsp sugar (palm sugar or white sugar)

Seasoning

  • 0.5 tsp fine salt

Flavouring

  • 2 drops pandan extract or 1 fresh pandan leaf (optional)

Method

  1. Combine the coconut milk and water in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, salt, and pandan leaf or extract if using. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
  2. Add the banana pieces to the simmering coconut broth. Cook for 4–5 minutes, turning gently once, until the bananas are just warmed through and have softened slightly but still hold their shape. Remove the pandan leaf.
  3. Taste and adjust sugar and salt as needed. Serve warm in small bowls, making sure each portion gets plenty of the coconut broth.

Notes

The dish is traditionally made with kluai nam wa, a small, fragrant Thai banana variety. Standard supermarket bananas work well (choose ones that are ripe but still firm. Palm sugar gives a more authentic, slightly caramel-like sweetness but white sugar works fine. Pandan leaf is highly recommended if available) it gives the coconut broth a subtle floral, vanilla-like fragrance that is central to the Thai version of this dish.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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