Thai rice porridge
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 Thai rice porridge、boiled rice soup
- 2 leaf-wrapped sticky-rice dessert
This word usually refers to a light, soupy Thai rice porridge in which the grains remain visible. It can also refer to a traditional leaf-wrapped sticky-rice dessert.
Thai rice porridge、boiled rice soup
A light, soupy rice porridge with visible rice grains, served plain or with ingredients such as pork, fish, or shrimp.
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กินข้าวต้มตอนเช้า kin khâaw tôm tɔɔn cháaw I eat rice porridge in the morning. กินข้าวต้มตอนเช้า details
leaf-wrapped sticky-rice dessert
A traditional dessert made by wrapping seasoned sticky rice, often with a filling, in leaves and then steaming or boiling it. This sense usually appears in a longer compound name.
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ข้าวต้มมัดไส้กล้วย khâaw tôm mát sây klûay leaf-wrapped sticky-rice dessert with banana filling ข้าวต้มมัดไส้กล้วย details
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เขาทำข้าวต้มมัดขาย khǎw tham khâaw tôm mát khǎay They make and sell leaf-wrapped sticky-rice desserts. เขาทำข้าวต้มมัดขาย details
Learning notes
Explanation
The word is formed from ข้าว (“rice”) and ต้ม (“to boil”). Its main sense is a soupy rice dish in which the grains generally remain intact. It may be plain or prepared with pork, fish, shrimp, egg, or other ingredients. The ingredient is commonly placed after the word, as in ข้าวต้มหมู (pork rice porridge) and ข้าวต้มปลา (fish rice porridge). Portions are usually counted by the container, such as หนึ่งชาม (“one bowl”) or หนึ่งถ้วย (“one small bowl”). The word can also denote a traditional sticky-rice dessert cooked in a leaf wrapper. In this sense, it is most often encountered in fuller names such as ข้าวต้มมัด or ข้าวต้มผัด.
Usage
It is commonly eaten for breakfast, as a light meal or late-night food, and after drinking. Because it is considered easy to digest, it is also often served when someone is unwell. At food stalls and restaurants, customers can order it by adding the main ingredient after ข้าวต้ม. The dessert sense is encountered at markets, during traditional events, and in discussions of homemade sweets, usually in a fuller name such as ข้าวต้มมัด.
Caution
ข้าวต้ม and โจ๊ก may both be translated as “rice porridge,” but they are normally different dishes. ข้าวต้ม is brothy and retains distinct rice grains, whereas โจ๊ก is thicker and cooked until the grains break down. When ข้าวต้ม is used by itself, it normally means the savory rice porridge. Use a fuller name such as ข้าวต้มมัด when referring specifically to the leaf-wrapped sticky-rice dessert.
Differences from similar words
1 Thai rice porridge synonyms
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โจ๊ก is a thick, smooth congee cooked until the grains largely break down. ข้าวต้ม is more soup-like, and the individual rice grains generally remain visible.