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Aroy Mak Mak

Cha-om

ชะอม

Feathery acacia shoots with a pungent smell, cooked into omelettes and sour curries.

Cha-om

Cha-om are the young, feathery shoots of a climbing acacia. Raw, they have a strong smell that surprises newcomers; cooked, they turn mild, nutty and savoury, and Thais love them.

Pronunciationcha-om
FlavourPungent raw; nutty and savoury when cooked
Used inCha-om omelette, gaeng som, gaeng khanun, with nam prik
SubstituteNone close; spinach in an omelette for texture

How it is used

Beaten into eggs and fried in a thick square omelette (kai jiao cha-om), which is cut into pieces and served with gaeng som (sour curry) or nam prik kapi. It also goes into northern jackfruit curry and some soups.

Preparing it

The stems have small thorns: wear gloves or hold the tips and strip the soft leaves downward, leaving the stems behind. Only the tender tips are eaten.

Buying and storing

Sold in small bundles in Thai grocers, often frozen. Fresh cha-om keeps for two days in the fridge; frozen leaves can be added straight to the egg mixture.

Cook’s tip

Fry cha-om omelette slowly in plenty of oil so it puffs up and browns, then cut it into squares. It soaks up the sour curry like a sponge.

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