The sweet side of Thai food

                                     cold coconut milk soup with cantaloupe   
During what became a two-week-long survey of Thai food at hotels, resorts, spas, spa resorts, hotel resorts and sidewalk cook stalls, dessert was always fruit-based. Beautifully presented platters of sliced fresh fruit and cold coconut milk and fruit soups were standard. At The Vijitt Resort in Phuket, we had a variation - warm coconut soup with bananas.

                                                     

                      
Vijitt is a beautiful spa and resort spread along the hill that rises from Friendship Beach in Rawai on the more sedate, Eastern side of Phuket. It offers its guests Thai cooking classes, too, and while we didn't have time to try it ourselves, the gracious general manager shared the cookbook with us.

The Vijitt Gluay Buad Chee, Banana in Coconut Milk 

Serves one

Ingredients
3/4 cup (250 grams) coconut milk
2 TBS palm sugar
1/4 tsp salt
small banana cut into one-inch slices

Preparation
Heat the coconut milk slowly in a saucepan. Add sugar and salt while stirring constantly.
Add banana slices (to keep from browning, dab banana slices with lemon or mild salt) and slowly boil in coconut milk for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

This dessert can be made well in advance. Store unrefrigerated to enhance flavor.

The cold versions are prepared in the same way with cantaloupe, honeydew melon, pineapple and grapes among the refreshing fruits swimming in coconut milk.

NOTE: To find out more about Six Senses Hideaway and Phuket, go to this post at my other blog, Travel on the Level.