• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Messy Vegan Cook
  • Recipes
  • Thai Food + Travel
  • Supper Clubs
  • Subscribe
    • Bloglovin
    • Instagram
    • RSS
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Thai Food and Travel
  • London Vegan Supper Clubs
  • About
    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Articles » Thai Food and Travel » Vegan Thai Recipes

    Sweet Potato Balls (Kanom Kai Nok Krata) ขนมไข่นกกระทา

    1 September, 2015 by Kip 3 Comments

    เทศกาลกินเจ

    Despite a common belief by many Westerners that vegetarianism is impossible to communicate in Thailand, and that fish sauce goes in everything, the Thai language has a word to indicate veganism that is universally understood. เจ translates in English to je, or jay, and means no animal products. The concept is so well understood, in fact, that for ten days a year the country celebrates a vegan diet with such a fervour that it's near impossible in a large city to find a venue without vegetarian options!

    One of the best times in Thailand to try street foods is during this annual festival, tesagaan gin jee (เทศกาลกินเจ), in the autumn. Yellow flags are strung across tables and shophouses of participating vendors, indicating they have vegan friendly foods for sale. That's how I came to try these moreish fried sweet potato balls, a cheap and delicious vegan snack you can find sizzling in vats of oil half the size of your bathtub.

    Thai Fried Sweet Potato Balls

    Kanom kai nok krata

    Not quite sweet, but also outside of savoury territory, these steaming nibbles are both easy to prepare and contain minimal ingredients. Just be sure you make them to order as they are rubbish leftovers.

    Fried Sweet Potato Balls (Kanom Kai Nok Krata – ขนมไข่นกกระทา)

    kanom kai nok krata recipe

    The most important thing to remember about this recipe is that these sweet potato snacks do not keep, but you can make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it in cling film for a day or two. These treats are swell on their own, but are also a great addition to a plate of Southern style food.

    Ingredients

    • 250 grams peeled sweet potato, cut into chunks
    • 125 grams (1 cup) tapioca starch
    • 25 grams (2 tablespoons) rice flour
    • 30 grams (2 tablespoons) sugar
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    Directions/Method

    1. Steam the sweet potato for 15-20 minutes, until fork tender (or boil and drain). Once cooled, mash the sweet potato before kneading in the remaining starches for a few minutes with your hands to attain a soft and smooth, slightly sticky dough.
    2. Heat at least two inches of oil in a large saucepan or wok (I use 3 cups for my 12 inch wok) to medium low.
    3. Roll the dough into tablespoon size balls and fry in two batches until golden, agitating them frequently to ensure even cooking. Each batch will take 2-3 minutes.
    • Author: Kip
    • Serving: About 22 balls
    • Cuisine: Thai street food

    More Vegan dessert recipes

    • Spiced vegan turmeric cookies
    • Vegan kanom baa bin (Thai coconut pancakes), take two
    • Vegan butter mochi with rose, makrut lime leaf, and saffron
    • Vegan Thai fried ice cream ไอศครีมทอด

    Reader Interactions

    I reserve the right to improve any malicious and trollish comments left below. Please do not comment about nonvegan products or activities.

    Comments

    1. Silvy

      July 26, 2016 at 12:43 pm

      I love these! I'm in Thailand now and whenever I see them, I buy them 😀 same with the fried bananas. Thank you for the recipe

      Reply
      • Kip

        July 26, 2016 at 5:25 pm

        They're such great snacks, yeah?! Enjoy your time in Thailand 🙂

        Reply
    2. I reserve the right to improve malicious and trollish comments.

    Trackbacks

    1. Phuket Vegetarian Festival: Vegan Street Food Part II | Vegan Miam says:
      26 September, 2016 at 7:01 pm

      […] These little fried balls are made from a batter of flours, baking powder, sugar and sweet potato. They’re crisp and crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Often sold at night during the festival, and a common Thai street food year-round. They can be dangerously hot when fresh but equally delicious. Make them at home (thanks Kip!) […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Name's Kip. Some things about me: vegan, Thai food enthusiast, comfortably chaotic and disorganised, information lover, Londoner, cookbook collector, clumsy AF, rarely takes a serious photo, has never been on a diet. This is not a wellness blog.

    More about me →

    • All recipes
    • Thai food + travel
    • General travel
    • Reviews
    • Food facts
    • Thai fried tofu with sweet peanut dipping sauce
    • Thai winged bean salad (yam tua pu)
    Vegan Thai Recipes
    Vegan Travel in Thailand
    Kippysnacks logo

    I run vegan Thai supper clubs at my home in East London.

    Think Like a Vegan

    Think Like a Vegan Book

    A thoughtful read for long time vegans and nonvegans alike, this is one of the best styles of arguing for and discussing veganism I have yet to find. Highly recommended reading.

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Privacy policy
    • Relationships and disclosures
    • Comments Policy
    • PR and Review Policy
    • Freelance and Consultancy

    Contact

    Email me
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Newsletter

    All content on this site, including, but not limited to, text, recipes, and photographs are owned by Messy Vegan Cook and its contributors. No content may be reprinted or reproduced without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Messy Vegan Cook