Bangkok Street Life – vendors making Kanom Krok

Kanom Krok, coconut pancakes, are a very popular traditional Thai street food snack; in fact, it is one of the ancient Thai desserts that are sold by street food vendors throughout Bangkok and Thailand.

“On our Bangkok bicycle tours that pass through Pak Khlong Talat, the biggest fresh flower and vegetable market in Bangkok, we usually take a break at this local street food stall. Our customers always love to try this delicious snack which is one of Thailand’s favourite marketplace sweets.”
Matthew – tour guide at Follow Me Bangkok Bicycle Tours

The two guys that run this small stall can be found here every day apart from Monday, which is the day that they go to the local market to buy the ingredients to make their coconut pancakes. Their hometown is Tak, one of the northern provinces of Thailand, but after 3 years of working in Bangkok, they say that business is pretty good as there are not many people in this area that make Kanom Krok.

Like all street food vendors they work long hours starting at 4 am setting up their stall in the flower market so that they are ready to open and start serving at 5 am. This location is perfect for their small business as there is limited competition which to be honest is very rare for Bangkok, and as the market is open 24/7 there is always a constant stream of customers throughout the day.

The name Kanom means snack and Krok means mortar. Although there is no mortar used in preparing this snack it is widely believed that the name Krok derives from the mortar-shaped indentations of the cast iron pan that is used for cooking. Although the recipes for this dessert can vary all Kanom Krok are basically made with a mixture of batter and coconut cream. In the video you can see the various steps of cooking this snack that is as follows:

Step 1
Heat the cast iron pan over a charcoal fire to ensure an even distribution of heat

Step 2
Pour the salty rice flour mix from the kettle into the hot greased pan and cook for a while

Step 3
Fill with the second mixture of sweet coconut topping

Step 4
Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and cover for about 5 minutes

Step 5
Scoop out the half spherical dough’s, trim as required and place one on top of the other

As this snack is best eaten freshly made and still hot straight from the pan you need to be patient and buy them at the perfect time. So next time you are in Bangkok why not join us on one of our amazing Bangkok bicycle tours where you can enjoy the perfect Kanom Krok.

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You may also like to watch our video of Khun Faad the flower garland vendor who can also be found in this wonderful flower market.