Ripe bananas gently simmered in sweetened, lightly salted coconut milk — one of the simplest and most deeply satisfying of all Thai desserts. Kluay buad chee (literally 'banana ordained as a nun' — the white coconut milk suggesting the white robes of a Buddhist nun) requires two things done correctly: the selection of the correct banana and the salting of the coconut milk. Everything else is simplicity.
**The banana:** The kluay nam wa banana — a small, very sweet, somewhat starchy banana variety — is the Thai standard for this preparation. Its texture holds through the gentle cooking (firm enough not to disintegrate) while its natural sweetness develops further in the warm, sweet coconut milk. Substitute with a firm, not overly ripe plantain or a ripe but firm Cavendish banana. The banana must not be over-ripe — the cooking softens it further. **The coconut milk:** - Thin coconut milk (second pressing or the thinner portion of canned): 400ml. - Palm sugar: dissolved — approximately 60–80g, depending on the banana's sweetness. - Salt: a pinch — the same salt-amplifies-sweet principle as khanom thuay (Entry TH-53) and khao niew mamuang (Entry TH-27). Non-negotiable. - Optional: a piece of pandan leaf tied in a knot — infused during the heating, removed before service. **The preparation:** 1. Warm the coconut milk with palm sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. 2. Peel the bananas and halve lengthwise, then cut into 5–6cm pieces. 3. Add to the warm (not hot, not simmering) coconut milk. The temperature should be approximately 70–75°C — the same gentle poach temperature as khao man gai (Entry TH-24). 4. Hold at this temperature for 5–8 minutes. The banana softens slightly and absorbs the coconut milk's sweetness. 5. Serve warm in a bowl with the coconut milk. Decisive moment: The temperature. Kluay buad chee at 70–75°C poaches the banana gently — the starches soften without the banana collapsing into the coconut milk. At 90°C or a simmer: the banana disintegrates into the coconut milk within 5 minutes, producing a thin, banana-flavoured liquid rather than pieces of banana in coconut milk.
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)