Khao Tom, or Rice Porridge
by Luk Khrueng, Bangkok, Thailand
Rice porridge might not seem like a very exciting or interesting meal. A basic and hearty, yet uninspiring dish, rice porridge is a staple food for many countries in Asia.
Luk Khrueng (the name literally means "half-child", an affectionate term given to someone with one Thai and one foreign parent) seeks to elevate "khao tom", or rice porridge, to new heights by taking this simple staple dish and transforming it into something classy and elegant.
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| elegant rice porridge by Luk Khrueng, Bangkok, Thailand |
Khao tom differs from jok (or congee, another popular type of rice porridge in Thailand) in that the rice is boiled and served whole rather than mashed. Here, the rice is served along with red beans and grains such as Job's tears to give it a more filling and rich texture.
The rice, however, is just the base for the rest of the meal. At a rice porridge restaurant like this, you need to order several different dishes of your choice to eat served over the rice porridge.
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| khao tom - boiled rice w/grain |
To enjoy this meal, take a serving of whichever dish you want and scoop it over a spoonful of rice porridge to enjoy together. This lets the rice serve as a vessel for the flavors and textures of the other dishes and leads to a more well-rounded and complete dining experience.
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| salted egg and crispy pork belly with rice porridge |
First, we wanted to try Luk Khrueng's famous pork jerky salad, their signature dish that earned them a writeup on BK Magazine.
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| lunch at Luk Khrueng, Bangkok, Thailand (rice porridge shop) |
Crispy pork belly was served as a "yum", a spicy Thai mixed salad made with onion, cilantro, spicy red chili pepper, fish sauce, shallots, minced onion, lemon, kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar, and more. The name "yum" literally means "mixed", and can refer to any sort of mixed spicy meat salad.
The dish came with two halved salted egg yolks. I don't normally care much for salted egg (khai kim), but I actually really enjoyed them here when served over the khao tom.
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| pork jerky (fried pork belly) spicy salad with salted egg |
We also ordered a plate of kun chiang, or sweet Chinese pork sausage. The fried sausage gave a sweet, smoky, savoriness to the dish. Although on its own nothing special, it's one of my favorite Asian flavors, and I loved adding a bite of kun chiang to my porridge.
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| fried Chinese sausage |
The next dish was a plate of pickled cabbage with egg. This is one of the dishes that is commonly served alongside khao tom. It has a sweet, sourness that I really like.
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| pickled cabbage with egg |
The final dish we tried was a minced pork and plumb soup.
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| minced pork with plumb soup |
Another signature dish from this shop, this savory soup was filled with meaty minced pork, cilantro, and sour Chinese-style pickled plumbs. The incredible combination of flavors complemented one another to make for an extremely delicious and complex soup.
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| Thai-Chinese pork and plumb soup |
The restaurant has a beautiful location, a wonderful minimalistic-style dining room, and a fantastic, simple menu. Even though it's still brand-new, I wouldn't be surprised if Luk Khrueng gets a Michelin award in the next year or two!
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| inside Luk Khrueng, Bangkok, Thailand (Sanam Pao) |
Location
Luk Khrueng is located at 7th Floor, 248 Phahonyothin Rd, Samsen Nai, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400 on the 7th floor of the Cisco Engineering Building. The nearest public transport station is BTS Sanam Pao, which is just a few meters away.
The restaurant is a little hard to find. Don't go in the main entrance, but instead walk through the covered walkway to the left of the main doors (Shoko Cafe).
There's another entrance around the back. Take the elevator to the 6th floor (as high as it goes), and follow the signs up the stairs to the seventh floor. It's intuitive enough, but can be a little confusing if it's your first time visiting.
There's another entrance around the back. Take the elevator to the 6th floor (as high as it goes), and follow the signs up the stairs to the seventh floor. It's intuitive enough, but can be a little confusing if it's your first time visiting.
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| Luk Khrueng is located on the 7th floor of the Cisco Engineering Building |
The restaurant looks out over the beautiful pond and green fields of the 2nd Cavalry Division, King’s Guard and offers excellent views of the city's buildings in the distance.
There is outdoor seating, so if the weather is cool or if it's the evening, I'd recommend sitting outside to enjoy the view.
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| the view from Luk Khrueng's balcony |
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