Nom Yen at Sticky Rice [Pic]

Nom yen, or "cold milk," is an extremely popular Thai refreshment which is made by combining ice, condensed milk or cream, and flavouring syrup.

While it may not be widely available at Thai restaurants in the U.S., nom yen is quite commonly found in the ThaiAm home, and it is generally made with the use of Hale's Blue Boy™ brand of flavouring syrups.*

To our great fortune, nom yen can be had at a number of Thai restaurants in the Chicagoland area, and where the diner is generally free to choose from a few different Hale's™ brand flavourings.


nom yen khĩaw

At Sticky Rice, the following flavourings are available:

Hale's™ cream soda - referred to in Thai as khĩaw, or "green."

Hale's™ sala** - referred to in Thai as daeng, or "red."

Hale's™ pineapple - sàppàrót in Thai.

At Sticky Rice, there is also the choice of having the drink made "on ice," or "blended," and as it it shown above.


Now, my personal preference is for a "blended" beverage, and my favourite flavouring is Hale's™ cream soda syrup. I should tell you, though, that this syrup tastes nothing like American-style "cream soda" beverages. Instead, it has all of the charm and nuance of your grandmother's perfume.

Regards,
Erik M.

Sticky Rice
4018 N. Western
773.588.0120
Seven Days

* Hale's™ syrups can be found in the Chicagoland area at a number of Asian provisioners. Many of the Argyle District shops, for example, carry syrups in the Hale's™ line.

** Sala is a tropical fruit, and one with a flavour that is beyond my powers of description.

Erik M. wrote: Instead, it has all of the charm and nuance of your grandmother's perfume.

Erik, you've obviously never smelled my grandmother's perfume - charm, maybe, nuance I wouldn't say so, actually most of the indian fragrances I have smelled would not be consider subtle. Most of the more modern indian women were perfume from abroad.

anway, thanks for the report, I've always thought that there must be other sweetened condensed milk drinks other than the ice coffee/tea ones.

One question is where on the sweetness spectrum these drinks lie?

I know you don't eat that many sweets but hopefully you can relate to this scale

1=bad orange bright jalebi

10= a good stong vietnamese ice coffee

zim wrote:Erik, you've obviously never smelled my grandmother's perfume - charm, maybe, nuance I wouldn't say so, actually most of the indian fragrances I have smelled would not be consider subtle. Most of the more modern indian women were perfume from abroad.

I was being facetious. And, I had exactly the sort of frangrances that you mention in mind. At any rate, I truly enjoy nom yen khĩaw.

zim wrote:One question is where on the sweetness spectrum these drinks lie?

I am not sure that I can do justice to your scale, zim, but I will say that it is a pleasant sort of sweetness. And, by that, I mean that it is not overly sweet. Kritsana uses cream, not condensed milk, and if you elect to have the drink blended, she even adds a bit of water.

NB I think that these beverages have ruinous effects on food, and so I take them alone, as a "snack," or I have them at the end of a meal.

Regards,
Erik M.

Erik M. wrote:
I was being facetious. And, I had exactly the sort of frangrances that you mention in mind.

Erik,I'm not sure I understand - do you then consider American cream soda's balanced and subtle?

Erik M. wrote:my favourite flavouring is Hale's™ cream soda syrup. I should tell you, though, that this syrup tastes nothing like American-style "cream soda" beverages. Instead, it has all of the charm and nuance of your grandmother's perfume.

anyway, thanks for the further info, I'll be sure to try some, though I may stay away from that flavor

zim wrote:Erik,I'm not sure I understand - do you then consider American cream soda's balanced and subtle?

That post of mine was poorly composed. I attempted to deliver my joke dryly, and as it has been shown time and time again, hereabouts, that simply does not work. Stringing along seventy five smiley-faced emoticons is what actually works.

Here is what else I can tell you:

1. I have never liked American "cream soda" beverages.
2. I do not figure "cream soda" beverages to be balanced or subtle ... unless you are comparing them to the Hale's™ product.
3. Hale's™ "cream soda" tastes like grandma's perfume.
4. Against my own better judgement, even, I LOVE Hale's™ "cream soda" flavouring.



E.M.

Erik M. wrote:That post of mine was poorly composed. I attempted to deliver my joke dryly, and as it has been shown time and time again, hereabouts, that simply does not work. Stringing along seventy five smiley-faced emoticons is what actually works.

Why, Erik, I think that's because everyone assumes you're devoid of a sense of humor *75

gleam wrote:Why, Erik, I think that's because everyone assumes you're devoid of a sense of humor *75

As with the Hale's™ products, Ed, I am generally drawn to the "off" brand.

E.M.

I ordered the 'green' nom yen with my meal from Sticky Rice on Saturday and found it to be as Erik M. advertised. Definitely a tasty beverage with an overpowering flavor that is probably best enjoyed without a meal.

The grandma's perfume description was definitely fitting. My mind searched for a comparable flavor to this 'cream soda', and came up with: Tutti Frutti flavor Jelly Bellys...an indistinguishable mix of tropical fruit flavors.

Erik, I presume the other flavors are equally subtle?

clogoodie wrote:Erik, I presume the other flavors are equally subtle?

If I understand you correctly, no, they are not. The "sala" and "pineapple" flavourings bear a strong resemblance to the items for which they are named.

E.M.

P.S. If you genuinely like the "cream soda" flavouring, you might try to track down Hale's™ "jasmine" flavouring. That stuff is great.

Erik M. wrote: I attempted to deliver my joke dryly, and as it has been shown time and time again, hereabouts, that simply does not work. Stringing along seventy five smiley-faced emoticons is what actually works.

E.M.

Erik, no need for emoticons - I use them enough for both of us, maybe more exact usage of the word "instead".

Thanks for trying to provide further info on the sweetness.

Here is how I make nom yen at home...


how cool is that?*


pop in the ice**


replace the cover


shave the ice


add the syrup***


add the milk****

I make nom yen on the "light" side, adding roughly 1-2 T of syrup and 2-3 T of milk.

Your taste may be at some variance with mine.


E.M.

* The cool-as-hell ice shaver was purchased at International Club. [4000 W. 40th St. @ Pulaski]

** This particular ice shaver came with four ice cups for freezing round ice blocks. The blocks fit snugly into the shaver, and make the shaving process a breeze.

*** Pictured are the Hale's™ cream soda and sala syrups. As I mentioned above, the cream soda syrup is my personal favourite. Consider yourself warned.

**** I add a 1:1 blend of condensed milk and evaporated milk. Follow my lead, or instead use cream, whole milk, skim milk, etc.

Erik M wrote:How cool is that?

Too.

Makes me want to dig this up.

trixie-pea wrote:

Erik M wrote:How cool is that?

Too.

Makes me want to dig this up.

I see a starting bid of ten bucks for one of those on Ebay.

I got the panda for nine.

E.M.