Khao yum represents the life of Southern Thais who live a relaxed coastal existence and use local and seasonal produce to best show off their rich cultural heritage. It’s also a dish that is elevated by all of the different textures that throw down a party in your mouth, so this means a lot of preparation time is needed.

Like a lot of Thai food, this dish is all about the prep work, with flash-fast cooking time, so to me its a soulful cuisine that shows love through its laboriousness. Don’t let this scare you away from trying it out, all I mean is that the more effort you put into slicing, peeling, and presenting, the more delicious this dish becomes. That’s where the poetry lies.

Try this dish out with a range of different rice varieties, perhaps swapping out the fruit and veg for those available locally to you, because that is where the excitement happens – its all experimental dude …peace out.