Bulan dan mek facts for kids
Bulan dan mek
|
|
| Type | Thai dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Thailand |
| Main ingredients | Flour, sugar, eggs, salt and other fillings |
Bulan dan mek (Thai: บุหลันดั้นเมฆ) is a special traditional Thai dessert. Its name means "the moon floating among the clouds." This dessert was inspired by royal songs from the time of King Rama II, who ruled Thailand from 1767 to 1824. It is a small, round dessert. The middle part is yellow, like the moon, and it has a bluish-purple edge, like clouds at night.
Contents
What is the History of Bulan Dan Mek?
Bulan dan mek is a royal Thai dessert with a beautiful story. Its name, "the moon floating among the clouds," comes from its look. The blue-purple color comes from butterfly pea flower juice. This juice makes the dessert look like night clouds. The yellow center uses an egg yolk to look like the moon shining in the night sky.
This dessert was inspired by a song called "Bulan Loi Luean." This royal song came from a dream of King Rama II. The story says that one night, after playing his fiddle late, he fell asleep. He dreamed he was in a beautiful place. A full moon slowly came closer, along with a clear, beautiful sound. The King enjoyed the music and the sight. Then, the moon slowly drifted away, and the music faded. When he woke up, the music from his dream was still in his ears. The King then asked his court musicians to remember and arrange the music. He named the song "Bulan Loi Luean." This dream and song later inspired the creation of the Bulan dan mek dessert.
What Ingredients Are in Bulan Dan Mek?
The ingredients for Bulan dan mek are split into two main parts. One part is for the flour mixture, and the other is for the filling.
Flour Mixture Ingredients
The flour mixture usually includes:
- Rice flour
- Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch
- Butterfly pea flower juice (for the blue color) or food coloring
- Caster sugar
- Coconut milk
- A pinch of salt
Filling Ingredients
The filling is often made with:
- Egg yolk
- Sugar
- Salt
- Sometimes coconut milk is added to make a custard filling.
- Another option for the filling is thong yot paste, which is another type of Thai dessert.
Even though the ingredients might be a little different in various places, the main ones are always rice flour, sugar, coconut milk, and egg.
What Equipment is Used to Make Bulan Dan Mek?
In the past, Bulan dan mek was baked in special pottery cups. These were called pinwheel cups and were often made from Sangkhalok ceramic ware. These cups came in different sizes.
Today, you can use other small, heat-resistant cups. You can also bake the dessert in a steamer.
Here are some common tools needed:
- Small pinwheel cup (or any small, heat-resistant cup)
- Steamer
- Measuring cup
- Bowl
- Tablespoon
- Teaspoon
- Spatula
- Egg whisk
- Spoon
How is Bulan Dan Mek Made?
Making Bulan dan mek involves a few steps. The process is similar across different recipes, but the steaming time or filling might vary.
- First, you heat the pinwheel cups. You steam them in boiling water for about 10 minutes until they are very hot.
- Next, you mix rice flour, arrowroot powder, and sugar. You slowly add water and knead the mixture. Then, you filter it to make it smooth.
- You mix the butterfly pea flower juice with this flour mixture.
- After the cups are hot, you slowly pour the flour mixture into each pinwheel cup.
- You cover the cups and steam them in boiling water for about 2 minutes.
- The dessert will start to form a small dent in the middle. Once the dough sticks slightly to the cup's edge, you can add coconut milk into this dent. Steam it for another 1 minute.
- Then, you carefully drop the filling mixture (made from egg yolks, sugar, and salt) into the center. Make sure no egg yolk drips onto the edges, as this can make it look messy.
- Finally, you steam the dessert for another 5 minutes, or until it is fully cooked. If you use thong yot for the filling, you steam until it pushes up above the dough.
- Let the desserts cool down. Then, gently take them out of the pinwheel cups.
What Beliefs are Connected to Bulan Dan Mek?
Some people use Bulan dan mek to guess about their future job duties. They often predict things based on how the egg yolk (the "bulan" or moon) looks. If the yolk comes out perfectly round and beautiful, it might mean a promotion or good luck at work. But if it looks distorted or not quite right, it could mean that things at work might not go as well.
Where Can You Find Bulan Dan Mek?
Bulan dan mek is a royal Thai dessert that can be quite hard to find these days. However, some shops still sell it. Most of these shops are located in places that tourists visit. For example, you might find it at Nannaphat (นันท์นภัส) in Khlong Suan 100 Years Market in Chachoengsao. Other places include Sane cafe & workshop (เสน่ห์), Ban Aom Thai dessert (บ้านออม ขนมไทย), and Klang Pa homemade restaurant (กลางป่า).
Images for kids
-
Arrowroot powder, a key ingredient.
-
Traditional pinwheel cups used to make the dessert.
