Banana in Thai Cooking - Aroy Mak Mak

Thailand grows dozens of banana varieties, and almost every part of the plant is used: the fruit, the flower (hua plee), which is eaten in salads and with noodles, and the large leaves, which wrap and steam food all over the country.

Pronunciation	gluay
Flavour	From tangy and firm to very sweet and custardy, depending on variety
Season	Year-round
Eaten	Fresh, grilled, fried, in coconut milk; leaves for wrapping

Common varieties

Kluay Hom (“fragrant banana”): long and sweet, the closest to the bananas sold in Western supermarkets.
Kluay Khai (“egg banana”): small, thin-skinned and very sweet, famous from Kamphaeng Phet province.
Kluay Nam Wa: short and stubby, slightly tart, and the most common cooking banana.
Kluay Leb Mue Nang (“lady finger”): tiny, fragrant and sweet, from the south.

Banana desserts and snacks

Kluay tod: bananas fried in a crisp, coconut and sesame batter, a classic street snack.
Kluay ping: whole bananas grilled over charcoal until smoky, sometimes flattened and drizzled with syrup.
Kluay buat chi: bananas simmered in salted, sweetened coconut milk.
Kluay tak: sun-dried bananas, chewy and caramel-sweet.

Banana leaves

Banana leaves wrap grilled and steamed food such as hor mok (steamed fish curry custard), khao tom mat (sticky rice parcels) and grilled fish, adding a subtle, tea-like aroma. They are also folded into cups and plates. Frozen leaves are sold in Asian grocers; soften them briefly over a flame or in hot water before folding.

Cook’s tip
For kluay tod and kluay buat chi, use slightly under-ripe cooking bananas, or the firmest ordinary bananas you can find. Very ripe ones fall apart.

Recipes with Banana

ของหวาน

Kluay Buat Chi (Bananas in Coconut Milk)

Ripe bananas simmered in salted, sweetened coconut milk with pandan: a warm, simple Thai dessert ready in twenty minutes.

25 min · Easy

Common varieties

Banana desserts and snacks

Banana leaves

More Fruits

Recipes with Banana

Kluay Buat Chi (Bananas in Coconut Milk)