Hatyai Trip: Grilled Sticky Rice in Bamboo ( ข้าวหลาม)

16:54 1/9/2012 Every food vendors at Khlong Hae Floating Market (ตลาดน้ำคลองแห)
had these English translation sign board attach on their respective boats. Surely, it helps for those who can’t read Thai script and their local language. And one caught our attention was the “Grilled Sticky Rice in Bamboo”. Yes you heard and read it right. That made us curious and want check it out. We walk across nearer to the Khao Lam vendor( that’s what they called in Thai) .

We saw an old lady maybe in her sixties vending that Grilled Sticky Rice in Bamboo. Looking at her closely reminds me of my grand mother who sells a banana cue (that’s a different story). 



We just notice she just kept mum and had that straight face while busy serving her customers. I wouldn’t mind but i can’t stop my self wondering why she look and acted that way. A total contrast of her co vendors cheerful aura. 

We could have ask but’s it’s kinda awkward, We even don’t know how to start a conversation in Thai. So we stick to our business to uncover Khao Lam. “Maki alam pa eh”.  Auntie made us choice for shorter or longer bamboo sticks which of course has different prices. We opted for a shorter one and paid 20 baht for a single stick. So how does the grilled rice cook inside the bamboo?


Alright, so it’s not a magic how the rice got inside the bamboo stick. They put a slit on one section of bamboo and poured the ingredients inside before they grilled it. It’s slowly cook on the charcoal which makes this Khao Lam (ข้าวหลาม) special.


Peeling off the bamboo unleashes the Khao Lam’s earthy smell, and didn’t wait long enough to nosh this local treat. It tasted similar to Biko in Philippines but it has it’s signature taste that ‘s hard to describe. This local Thai treat had captured our hearts and this made us missed more about Thailand. Sawadee!

What are the local Thai delicacies you had tried?

Foodie Couple,

Sky and Summer
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0 Replies to “Hatyai Trip: Grilled Sticky Rice in Bamboo ( ข้าวหลาม)”

  1. I have eaten this kind of a food, a rice cooked inside a bamboo. My Lola use to cook this when she was still alive, every time she saw a bamboo tree she always make a time to make a bamboo rice. Super miss it. Asking what local Thai delicacies I have tried…hmmmm…the BAMBOO RICE(version ng LEYTE).

  2. Didn't meron pala tayong ganitong version sa Pinas. When I heard Leyte alam ko lang moron and binagol. That would be worth something to try in Leyte.

  3. Jonas Ignatius Labagala says: Reply

    Mmmm.. something new to eat when in Thailand! I would surely love to try this one! thanks for this post! 😀

  4. Rochkirstin Santos says: Reply

    We also have that in the Philippines, right? I haven't tried but only saw Bruce Lim featured it in a program on the Food Network. Nice, authentic huh. 🙂

  5. Yep,meron tayong ganyan kaya lang di na ata na follow ng mga Tita's and Tito's ko,especially papa ko na lumaki na dito sa Davao.

  6. But you can start doing it, then we'll promote the native delicacy. Marami nga tayong kakanin, and problem is it's slowly gone kasi wala magmamana. Hope we can continue the legacy.

  7. YEah, as Pal Raine said, somewhere in Leyte.

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