Songkran Khao Chae with Stuffed Shallots, Shrimp Paste Balls, and Sweet Radish
Fragrant iced rice with exquisite Thai New Year sides.
Daily recipe · April 13, 2026
A little about this dish
For Songkran, Thailand’s New Year, an iconic and celebratory meal is khao chae: chilled jasmine-scented rice served with beautifully prepared savory side dishes. It is elegant, refreshing, and perfect for a spring celebration in New York. This version keeps the tradition front and center with rice soaked in floral iced water, paired with sweet-savory stuffed shallots, crisp shrimp paste balls, and silky sweet radish stir-fry. Fragrant jasmine, pandan, rose water, and candle-smoked aromatics make the meal especially festive and visually stunning.
Ingredients (for 4)
- Thai jasmine rice — 2 cups — rinsed until water runs mostly clear
- Water — 8 cups — divided
- Jasmine flowers or unsprayed edible jasmine blossoms — 1/2 cup — gently rinsed
- Pandan leaves — 4 leaves — knotted
- Rose water — 1 teaspoon
- Ice cubes — 4 cups — for serving
- Small shallots — 12 — peeled
- Ground pork — 8 ounces
- Shrimp — 6 ounces — peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
- Dried shrimp — 1/4 cup — soaked 10 minutes and minced
- Sweet preserved radish — 1 cup — finely chopped
- Coconut sugar — 3 tablespoons — divided
- Palm sugar — 2 tablespoons — chopped
- Fish sauce — 3 tablespoons — divided
- Tamarind paste — 1 tablespoon
- Thai shrimp paste — 2 tablespoons
- Eggs — 2 — lightly beaten
- Garlic — 6 cloves — minced
- White pepper — 1 teaspoon
- Crispy fried shallots — 1/4 cup
- Cucumber — 2 — sliced and carved if desired
- Red spur chilies — 2 — thinly sliced for garnish
- Fresh mint leaves — 1/2 cup
- Fresh cilantro leaves — 1/2 cup
- Banana leaf or lettuce leaves — as needed — for lining serving tray
- Rice flour — 1/4 cup
- Neutral oil — 3 cups — for frying
- Salt — 1 teaspoon
Preparation
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Step 1 — 💧🌼❄️Boil 4 cups of the water with the knotted pandan leaves. Turn off the heat, cool completely, then add the jasmine flowers and rose water. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight, then strain before serving.
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Step 2 — 🍚🥄🧊Cook the rinsed Thai jasmine rice with the remaining 4 cups water until tender but not mushy. Drain if needed, spread the rice on a tray to cool completely, then refrigerate until cold.
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Step 3 — 🧅🔪👌Peel the small shallots if needed, then cut a slit lengthwise into each one. Remove the center carefully to make a cavity while keeping the outer layers whole.
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Step 4 — 🥣🐖🧄Mix the ground pork with 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, and a pinch of the salt. Stuff this mixture into the hollowed shallots.
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Step 5 — 🧅🍳✨Lightly dust the stuffed shallots with the rice flour. Heat the neutral oil to medium heat and fry until golden and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes, then drain well.
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Step 6 — 🍤🥚🥄Combine the chopped shrimp, minced dried shrimp, Thai shrimp paste, 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 2 minced garlic cloves, the remaining white pepper, the lightly beaten eggs, and 2 tablespoons of the rice flour. Mix until sticky.
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Step 7 — 🤲🍤🔥Form the shrimp mixture into small 1-inch balls. Fry them in the hot oil until deep golden and fully cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.
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Step 8 — 🥬🍯🍳Heat 1 tablespoon of the frying oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining minced garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the sweet preserved radish, palm sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, tamarind paste, and remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce. Stir-fry until glossy and almost jammy, then fold in the crispy fried shallots and let cool.
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Step 9 — 🍚💧🧊Divide the cold rice among 4 bowls. Pour the strained jasmine-pandan water around the rice and add the ice cubes so the rice stays very cold.
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Step 10 — 🥒🌿🌶️Line a tray with banana leaf or lettuce leaves. Arrange the stuffed shallots, shrimp paste balls, and sweet radish side on the tray, then add sliced cucumber, red spur chilies, fresh mint, and fresh cilantro.
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Step 11 — 🍽️😋🌸Serve right away. Eat the savory sides between bites of the chilled floral rice instead of mixing everything together.
A final fox tip
Khao chae is one of Thailand’s most refined hot-season dishes and is especially associated with Songkran celebrations. Traditionally, the rice is washed and chilled carefully so each grain stays beautiful in the scented water. For an even more authentic touch, the floral water can be gently candle-smoked if you know how to do it safely. To make the spread extra Instagram-worthy, garnish with carved vegetables, edible flowers, and a pale ceramic bowl that highlights the icy fragrant broth.