Street food in Thailand: Quail eggs – Khai Nok Krata (video)
You see them everywhere on the streets in Thailand, the quail eggs or the 'Khai Nok Krata'. These small but delicious snacks combine the rich, creamy taste of the eggs with a crispy, golden edge. Served with a mix of spicy sauces, they make a perfect snack for lovers of authentic Thai food.
In Thailand, street food is an essential part of the culture and culinary experience, and fried quail eggs are no exception. Known locally as “Khai Nok Krata” (which literally means “quail eggs from the iron plate”), these little delicacies are both a popular snack and a delicious treat.
The preparation of these fried quail eggs is quite simple, but incredibly tasty. Quail eggs are carefully broken one by one and poured into small, round indentations of a hot cast iron plate. The eggs are then fried on one side until they are perfectly golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside, while the inside remains soft and slightly runny.
These small, soft eggs have a rich, creamy flavor that stands out from larger chicken eggs. In Thailand they are often served with a mix of sauces or spices, such as soy sauce, pepper, and sometimes a little Thai chili sauce to give it a little spice. This contrast between the delicate, creamy texture of the eggs and the sharp, sometimes spicy sauces makes them a delicious snack.
One of the charms of this dish is the way it is served. The eggs are often served straight from the cast iron plate, hot and fresh, sometimes with a skewer or toothpick to make them easy to pick up and eat. Khai Nok Krata is not only a favorite among locals, but also a must-try for tourists who want to experience the authentic taste of Thai street cuisine. Their small size and delicious taste make them a perfect on-the-go snack as you wander the vibrant streets and markets of Thailand.
Quail eggs contain a lot of high-quality protein, seem to taste good and are very popular with Thai people. By the way, you can also easily bake quail eggs at home using a cast iron poffertjes pan.
Video: Street food in Thailand – Quail eggs
Watch the video here:
Delicious! One of the tastiest snacks in the Thai market. Especially at the food market in Ubon
Delicious! I eat them anytime and anywhere I see them. Recommended!
cooked they are also very tasty. Often buy them on the beach to eat as a snack.
Delicious to eat. Buy toasted bread. Get enough. Enjoy your meal.
Was already on the menu in the Netherlands around 1966, in specialty restaurants.
Was a nice article to sell, because nobody knew the origin of this egg. that period.
Later it became quite common on salads.
Aren't they put raw on the salad here in the more expensive restaurants? Fried I think it's like chicken egg. It's just more work to get your plate full for the kitchen brigade. I prefer an artfully made omelette in Thailand.
Delicious, I eat them everywhere I can. Tastes the same as chicken eggs, only smaller.
Delicious, always cook them at the hot spring, like a real Thai little maggi on top and you have a delicious snack, slightly fuller in taste than a chicken egg.
I eat them everywhere I see them. Usually in markets. A tasty snack in between. I prefer them fried, with some pepper on top. Tastes like chicken egg, but they are one-bite eggs. Delicious
When I order Khanom kai nok krata I get baked sweet potato balls.
When I order Khanom Krok I get sweet fried coconut-based 'poffertjes'.
Both have nothing to do with quail eggs, and I thought Khanom stands for 'sweet', which a quail egg is not.
Is the translation of quail egg really Khanom Krok kai nok krata?
French,
This may be the explanation
ขนม ไข่ นก กระทา or Khanom khai nok kratha.
Khanom is placed in front to indicate that it is about a snack/dessert.
Khai Nok is an egg (Khai) of a bird (Nok)
Kratha is a quail/partridge
Quail egg snack.
Your sweet potato dumplings are probably also called that because they look like quail eggs.
ขนมครก or Khanom Krok
Khanom is also a snack/dessert
Krok, I think, perhaps refers to the typical round shapes in the pan, rather than the composition of the 'poffertjes'.
I think I've figured it out with your help.
Khai nok kratha is quail egg, and khanom krok simply stands for that they are fried in a khanom krok pan, as distinct from the boiled version.
Although it remains strange that when I google khai nok kratha, and then click on images, the sweet potato balls are by far in the majority.
I think Khanom is best translated as… heartiness
no, not exactly, is usually sweet
Delicious as a snack in between with a piece of chili pepper on it…..
I like them baked and boiled… but cooked I would also like to peel them… because that is a bit of a hassle. Goes better with a chicken egg... 🙂
I have already eaten them several times, baked them at the market and cooked them for on / with the salad.
I've been looking at div markets to buy them raw and make them myself but can't find them.
Someone a golden tip, I live in Jomtien
Hi Peterball,
Tesco lotus, Foodland, Makro etc..
They are for sale everywhere.
So very easy/
Enjoy your meal.
LOUISE
Highly recommended, but I have a small comment on the text.
ขนมครก (khà-nǒm khrók) is the name of a Thai delicacy like our poffertjes but sweet + coconut milk and made in a kind of poffertjes pan. (also highly recommended)
And that pan is called: กระทะหลุม (krà-thá lǒem) [literally: casserole with cavities\cups].
And those quail eggs are both fried (in that pan) and cooked delicious and very healthy too.
Delicious! At the night market in Phang gna we had them on a stick, each egg wrapped in pangsit dough, deep fried with sweet and sour sauce.
I buy them regularly in Belgium. Delicious as a snack, cooked. the taste is so much better than a chicken egg. With some salt or soy sauce.
Nice article, now I'm definitely going to try those quail eggs. Does anyone know under what conditions they are laid? Everyone knows about chicken eggs that there are battery cages and free range/organic eggs. But quail eggs?
I buy them in Belgium in the Carrefour and Colruyt. I make bird nests. With chicken eggs you need minced meat for two bird nests, where with quail eggs you make 6.
My grandson also likes it very much. Tasty.
In Thailand if you go to a barbecue they are also available everywhere.
At the night market in Pai she also served Maggie with the quail eggs, a few drops on top was also delicious!