''Kleeb lamduan'' or lamduan flower shortbread cookie ( th, กลีบลำดวน, , ) is a
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
biscuit
A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...
in the shape of white cheesewood flowers (''
Melodorum fruticosum''). It is traditionally made from one part of white sugar, two parts of flour, and
lard
Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.[Lard]
entry in the o ...
. Kleeb Lamduan cookies are uniquely made by placing them in a container with a tian op () scented candle used for dessert making. When the container is closed the candle is extinguished and the aromatic smoke is trapped inside. Modern recipes are also often adapted from the original by using
icing sugar
Powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar, or icing sugar, is a finely ground sugar produced by milling granulated sugar into a powdered state. It usually contains between 2% and 5% of an anti-caking agent – such as corn starch, po ...
instead of
caster sugar,
vegetable oil instead of lard and some bakers add a portion of salt.
History of kleeb lamduan
''Kleeb lamduan'' was one of the auspicious authentic Thai desserts served only inside the palace. Nowadays, it is easy to find because descendants of
couriers have baked and sold the dessert for the public. As time passes, ''kleeb lamduan'' has been changed from the original recipe in terms of the baking process, the number of petals, color, or even the ingredients.
The original recipe used only flour, sugar, and lard (now vegetable oil can be used instead), similar to the ingredients of a
shortbread dough.
When being made, ''kleeb lamduan'' must have six petals in total, three petals on the outside and three petals on the inside. When this process is complete, the next process is to bake it at the proper temperature and flip them regularly to create perfect cooking. ''Kleeb lamduan'' should be evenly cooked and contains crunchy texture. The final process, before served, ''kleeb lamduan'' must be smoked with a scented candle.
References
{{Thai cuisine
Thai desserts and snacks
Cookies