A simple but delicious dessert with a layer of white coconut milk and flour over a layer of colored gelatin. Typically the color is natural (green coloring comes from the Pandan leaf (ใบเตย, genus pandanus) that also gives the gelatin a pleasant taste).

Slices of fresh coconut suspended inside a dessert of slightly-sweetened, clear gelatin.

Available in an endless variety of colors and depths, this is the classic Thai dessert with layers of coconut milk and colored gelatin. Opaque layers are produced with a bit of flower. Green color, and a delicious flavor, comes naturally from the Pandan leaf (ใบเตย), genus pandanus). Blue or purple color comes from the water morning glory flower (ดอกอัญชัน, clitonea ternatea). Other colors may be natural or artificial.

Pumpkin mixed with sugar and flour forms the base of this tasty coconut-sprinkled sweet.

Popular but exceedingly difficult to describe, you'll just have to taste this baked dessert with a crisp, brown upper shell. Ingredients seem to vary. One internet post describes it as "a Thai sweet made of crushed steamed mung bean, egg, and coconut milk [that] is a specialty of Petchburi Province," while a vendor I asked said it can be made with soybeans or just eggs. No matter what the ingredients, it is somewhat of an acquired taste.

Wacky and delicious balls made from a flour-sugar mix, sprinkled generously with coconut shavings, these desserts often have a sweet and crunchy filling which may include nuts.

Odd-looking but delicious, these squishy, translucent white balls are made from an outer casing that starts out life as hard sago pellets (some seem to use hard tapioca pellets) that are soaked in hot water until they become a workable, opaque sheet (although, as you can see, some of the tiny white pellets retain their original shape and give the outer shell texture). The sheet is worked into a ball and wrapped around a filling of pre-cooked pork, peanuts, onions, sugar, salt, soy sauce, and other ingredients. The balls are then briefly boiled or steamed so that the sheet becomes translucent and the whole dessert becomes soft and delicious. The balls are topped with fried garlic and served with lettuce or other vegetables.

This tasty dessert has the same filling as "Pork-Stuffed Sago Balls" above, but instead of being surrounded by a thick skin made from sago/tapioca pellets, it is surrounded by a super-thin skin made from rice flour or tapioca flour and steamed on the unmistakable "drum-head" (literally "pot-mouth"), a sheet of thin material stretched over the top of a pot that gently cooks the dessert. It's easy to spot the "drum head" in markets all over Thailand.

Images stolen from a momypedia webboard (top) and the bloggang blog of user หลานยายจุล.

Named for their resemblance to jackfruit seeds, these tiny desserts are a sugary delight.

Like the other three golden desserts below, the outside is made from egg yolk mixed with a bit of flour and cooked in condensed syrup. These sweets are important in marriage and housewarming (ขึ้นบ้านใหม่, [kʉ̂n-bâan-mài, kʉ̂n-bâan-mài, คึ่น^F-บ้าน^F-ไหฺม่^L, kheunF-baanF-maiL, kêun-bâhn-mài, ˈkhʉ̂n ˈbâan ˈmày, ˈkʰɯ̂n ˈbâːn ˈmàj, khưn^F-bān^F-mai^L, ˈkêun ˈbâhn ˈmài, khêun-bâan-mài, kêun-bâan-mài, khûen-bân-mài]) ceremonies since the golden color (and the Thai word ทอง, [tɔɔng, tɔɔng, ทอง^M, thaawngM, tawng, ˈthɔɔŋ, ˈtʰɔːŋ, thǭŋ^M, ˈtorng, thawng, tong, thong] "gold" in the names below) evokes weath and luck for the host of the ceremonies.

Helpful reader Nuti Damrongphatr adds another interesting fact: "real" ancient Thai desserts never contained egg yolk (they contained flour, rice, sticky rice, beans, sugar, coconut meat and milk). Egg yolks were introduced around 1682 by Maria Guyomar de Pinha, a Thai citizen of Japanese-Portuguese-Benghali ancestry who became highly influential in the court of King Narai and who created the golden desserts by starting with some Portuguese recipes and replacing some of the ingredients.

Unlike the three other golden desserts below, Jackfruit "Seeds" are often filled with a little bit of bean paste (the same paste used in bean cakes). To make these dessers, Thai chefs start by rolling the bean paste into the desired shape, drop the paste into the egg yolk, then boil the "seed" in the boiling syrup.

Quite a sight to behold, this super-bright orange dessert consisting of bunches of thin, beautiful fibers is made from the same egg yolk mixture as the shell of the Jackfruit "Seeds" (ขนมเม็ดขนุน, [kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǔun, kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǔun, ขะ^L-หฺนม^R-เม็ด^H-ขะ^L-หฺนูน^R, khaL-nohmR-metH-khaL-nuunR, kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǒon, ˈkhà ˈnǒm ˈmét ˈkhà ˈnǔun, ˈkʰà ˈnǒm ˈmét ˈkʰà ˈnǔːn, kha^L-nom^R-met^H-kha^L-nūn^R, ˈkà ˈnǒm ˈmét ˈkà ˈnǒon, khà-nǒm-mét-khà-nǔun, kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǒon, khà-nǒm-mét-khà-nǔn]) above.

These drops are made from the same egg yolk mixture as the shell of the Jackfruit "Seeds" (ขนมเม็ดขนุน, [kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǔun, kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǔun, ขะ^L-หฺนม^R-เม็ด^H-ขะ^L-หฺนูน^R, khaL-nohmR-metH-khaL-nuunR, kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǒon, ˈkhà ˈnǒm ˈmét ˈkhà ˈnǔun, ˈkʰà ˈnǒm ˈmét ˈkʰà ˈnǔːn, kha^L-nom^R-met^H-kha^L-nūn^R, ˈkà ˈnǒm ˈmét ˈkà ˈnǒon, khà-nǒm-mét-khà-nǔun, kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǒon, khà-nǒm-mét-khà-nǔn]) above, but do not have a filling.

These beatiful flower sculptures are made from the same egg yolk mixture as the shell of the Jackfruit "Seeds" (ขนมเม็ดขนุน, [kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǔun, kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǔun, ขะ^L-หฺนม^R-เม็ด^H-ขะ^L-หฺนูน^R, khaL-nohmR-metH-khaL-nuunR, kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǒon, ˈkhà ˈnǒm ˈmét ˈkhà ˈnǔun, ˈkʰà ˈnǒm ˈmét ˈkʰà ˈnǔːn, kha^L-nom^R-met^H-kha^L-nūn^R, ˈkà ˈnǒm ˈmét ˈkà ˈnǒon, khà-nǒm-mét-khà-nǔun, kà-nǒm-mét-kà-nǒon, khà-nǒm-mét-khà-nǔn]) above.

This dessert, which you will sometimes see as rectangular cakes (top) and sometimes see as little grilled cylindrical coins (bottom), is made from a batter of sticky rice flour, sugar, and other ingredients cooked up on a griddle until the top and bottom are a crispy golden brown. Vendors will sometimes mix in corn or green onions for good measure. Highly addictive. Not the same as the (also addictive) bowl-shaped Thai Griddle Cakes (ขนมครก [kà-nǒm-krók, kà-nǒm-krók, ขะ^L-หฺนม^R-คฺรก^H, khaL-nohmR-khrohkH, kà-nǒm-krók, ˈkhà ˈnǒm ˈkhrók, ˈkʰà ˈnǒm ˈkʰrók, kha^L-nom^R-khrok^H, ˈkà ˈnǒm ˈkrók, khà-nǒm-khrók, kà-nǒm-krók, khà-nǒm-khrók]) below.

Some people insist that the small cylindrical coins should instead be called ขนมแป้งจี่ [kà-nǒm-bpɛ̂ɛng-jìi, kà-nǒm-bpɛ̂ɛng-jìi, ขะ^L-หฺนม^R-แป้ง^F-จี่^L, khaL-nohmR-bpaaengF-jeeL, kà-nǒm-pbâeng-jèe, ˈkhà ˈnǒm ˈpɛ̂ɛŋ ˈcìi, ˈkʰà ˈnǒm ˈpɛ̂ːŋ ˈtɕìː, kha^L-nom^R-pǣŋ^F-čhī^L, ˈkà ˈnǒm ˈbpâirng ˈjèe, khà-nǒm-pâeng-jìi, kà-nǒm-bpâeng-jèe, khà-nǒm-pâeng-chì].

When you see a street vendor pouring batter into the tell-tale Thai Mortar griddle, you know you are in for a treat. These light, coconut milk- and flour- based griddle cakes should be eaten warm and usually also include green onion or corn.

Traditional Thai sweet sticky rice topped with a soft mixture of flour, sugar, and coconut milk.

Sweet sticky rice made from brown rice, it is often cooked less than white sticky rice so that it is almost crunchy, and it is often held together with a thick, marmalade-like sweet jelly.

Cameras simply cannot record the astonishing bright-green glow of this sweet sticky rice, naturally colored and flavored with Pandan leaf (ใบเตย, genus pandanus), and topped with white sesame seeds. The Pandan leaves are blended to a paste and their juice is squeezed through cheesecloth to produce the classic Thai ingredient.

One of the most famous Thai desserts and one of the only ones you are likely to find in Thai restaurants in the West. It consists of traditional steamed Thai sweet sticky rice (ข้าวเหนียวมูน, [kâao-nǐiao-muun, kâao-nǐao-muun, ค่าว^F-เหฺนียว^R-มูน^M, khaaoF-niaaoR-muunM, kâo-něeo-moon, ˈkhâaw ˈnǐaw ˈmuun, ˈkʰâːw ˈnǐaw ˈmuːn, khāo^F-nīeo^R-mūn^M, ˈkâo ˈněe-ao ˈmoon, khâo-nǐaw-muun, kâao-nǐeow-moon, khâo-nǐao-mun]) topped with slices of fresh mango and sweetened coconut milk. [Image stolen without permission from the wacky and entertaining oishiieats blog, at least until I can get a decent photo].

Odd-looking but yummy, this is a layer of black sticky rice topped with famous Thai custard. The black sticky rice is mildly sweet with roughly the texture of tapioca pudding.

Easy to miss in the market, this dessert is sold all bundled up in a steamed (and thus lighter-green) banana leaf which is ingeniously tied with "string" made of shaved bamboo (top picture). Hiding inside (bottom picture) is some delicious Thai sweet sticky rice (ข้าวเหนียวมูน, [kâao-nǐiao-muun, kâao-nǐao-muun, ค่าว^F-เหฺนียว^R-มูน^M, khaaoF-niaaoR-muunM, kâo-něeo-moon, ˈkhâaw ˈnǐaw ˈmuun, ˈkʰâːw ˈnǐaw ˈmuːn, khāo^F-nīeo^R-mūn^M, ˈkâo ˈněe-ao ˈmoon, khâo-nǐaw-muun, kâao-nǐeow-moon, khâo-nǐao-mun]) with a filling that includes one or more (usually one) of banana, black bean, or tarot.

Classic Thai egg custard topped with pumpkin shavings.

A slice of fresh Pumpkin stuffed with classic Thai egg custard.

A delicious custard-like sweet that is made with bananas and sugar, topped with coconut flakes. This dessert is often sold in tiny, chilled ceramic cups or wrapped in banana leaf.

It looks, feels, and tastes like a bready Western flour cake, but it's not: it's made from steamed palm hearts (specifically from the Toddy Palm, ต้นตาล, Borassus flabellifer Linn.) that provide the natural color and flavor, with a little coconut sprinkled on top.

A surprisingly tasty little morsel made from rice flower and sugar, ingeniously and beautifully folded into a square package (the staple being a modern substitute for the more traditional wood splinter or toothpick).

It may look like tar, or the obelisk from 2001: A Space Odyssey (the Thai translates literally as "Wet Concrete" or "Concrete Paste"), but it's all-natural and surprisingly tasty. The chef starts by burning the outer shell of coconuts, soaking the resulting char in water, and then squeezing it through cheesecloth to produce a natural black coloring and a unique flavoring, which is then combined with sugar and coconut milk to make the dessert.

A very slightly sweet cake made from crushed beans (could be soybeans, mung beans, or other types).

Some people seem to refer to this dessert as ขนมถั่วตัด [kà-nǒm-tùua-dtàt, kà-nǒm-tùa-dtàt, ขะ^L-หฺนม^R-ถั่ว^L-ตัด^L, khaL-nohmR-thuaaL-dtatL, kà-nǒm-tòoa-dtàt, ˈkhà ˈnǒm ˈthùa ˈtàt, ˈkʰà ˈnǒm ˈtʰùːa ˈtàt, kha^L-nom^R-thūa^L-tat^L, ˈkà ˈnǒm ˈtòo-a ˈdtùt, khà-nǒm-thùa-tàt, kà-nǒm-tùa-dtàt, khà-nǒm-thùa-tàt], though see below.

Similar to peanut brittle from the US or chikki from India, and looking like a sheet of brown glass, this is a hard cracker of sugar with lots of peanuts and white sesame on it.

Photo courtesy of Nuti Damrongphatr.

Perhaps my favorite dessert of them all, this traditional Shan (Thai Yai) dessert can be found in Northern Thailand (for example, in Pai). It has several delicious, egg-based layers with a bread-pudding-like, bubbly texture, topped with a sweet, creamy frosting. Unlike most desserts of its type, it retains just the right level of moistness that you can eat it without a drink, and it is not too sweet either.

Another traditional Shan (Thai Yai) dessert that can be found in Northern Thailand (for example, in Pai). A smooth and delicious custard that is braised on top.

A sweet, chewy delight. A thin, round purple patty made from black sticky rice is toasted over an open flame until it puffs up (hence ปุ๊ก, [bpúk, bpúk, ปุ๊ก^H, bpookH, pbóok, ˈpúk, ˈpúk, puk^H, ˈbpÓOk, púk, bpúk, púk], which means "plump" or "chubby," which then for no explained reason got corrupted to ปุก, [bpùk, bpùk, ปุก^L, bpookL, pbòok, ˈpùk, ˈpùk, puk^L, ˈbpÒOk, pùk, bpùk, pùk]), topped with black sesame seeds, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk, and then folded and snipped with scissors into bite-sized pieces. You can find this dessert in Northern Thailand (for example, in Pai), where it is traditionally made by the Chinese (actually KMT) immigrants from Yunnan during the cold season. The Lisu hill tribe makes a thicker variety of ข้าวปุ๊ก, [kâao-bpúk, kâao-bpúk, ค่าว^F-ปุ๊ก^H, khaaoF-bpookH, kâo-pbóok, ˈkhâaw ˈpúk, ˈkʰâːw ˈpúk, khāo^F-puk^H, ˈkâo ˈbpÓOk, khâo-púk, kâao-bpúk, khâo-púk] out of white sticky rice. The Shan (Thai Yai) immigrants make a similar snack out of black sticky rice during the rice harvest season, but they mix in the black sesame seeds before cooking.

These delicious yellow steamed dumplings (also found in green color) are filled with pork and vegetables and topped with Thai chili peppers, green onions, and crunchy fried garlic. They could equally well qualify as an appetizer or a dessert.

Similar in shape and appearance to Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, these steamed dumplings are made of sheets of the same dough used to make the wide Thai noodle soup noodles (before the sheets are cut into noodles), and the ingredients are similar to those you might find in a Thai noodle soup: sprouts, herbs, and other vegetables. The rolls are topped with Thai chili peppers, green onions, and crunchy fried garlic. They could equally well qualify as an appetizer or a dessert.

This dessert is made from a very unusual ingredient, ข้าวเม่า, [kâao-mâao, kâao-mâao, ค่าว^F-ม่าว^F, khaaoF-maaoF, kâo-mâo, ˈkhâaw ˈmâaw, ˈkʰâːw ˈmâːw, khāo^F-māo^F, ˈkâo ˈmâo, khâo-mâo, kâao-mâao, khâo-mâo], which is produced by taking unripe sticky rice seeds, roasting them, and then pounding off the husks. The resulting form of rice can be made into many desserts. The one pictured here is colored green by Pandan leaf (ใบเตย, genus pandanus) with coconut flakes. By itself, the dessert is quite bland, but when you add the provided natural sugar, it is quite tasty.

This dessert consists of one or two layers of tasty sweet rice-flour based pudding, poured and set in little spoon-sized bowls. You may still see the bowls on display or just see bowl-shaped desserts like the picture here.

When you see the tell-tale, beautiful pyramid packages, you can be fairly certain it's this dessert. Inside the package is a very sticky, blobby outer shell made from sticky rice flour, and inside that is either sweet filling (including coconut, sugar, and sesame seed) or salty filling (including black pepper, peanuts, salt, and other ingredients). The Thais seem to favor the salty filling, which is harder to make.