BANGKOK, April 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A speaker in the Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn Universityhas developed an instant version of Khao Lam (sticky rice in bamboo cylinders), preserving the smooth and creamy flavor of the famous Nong Mon Khao Lam. Making Khao Lam at home is now simply “child’s play”, taking only 25 minutes from start to finish! This move elevates the community’s product to reach international markets.
When talking about Nong Mon Market in Chonburi Province, many people immediately think of “Khao Lam”, a famous local souvenir that everyone passing by must stop at and buy at least two or three. Whether it’s white sticky rice or black sticky rice, it’s topped with black beans, ginkgo nuts, and oozing coconut milk. The sweet, salty and creamy flavors are enough to make your mouth water just thinking about it.
Unfortunately, Khao Lam has a short shelf life of only 1-2 days. Those looking to buy it for someone far away and keep it for a long time, or even strangers who have tried it and loved it, wanting to take it home as a souvenir, are therefore faced with a challenge.
The idea of “instant sticky rice” is what sparked the interest of Mr. Gorngris Kositsakul, a young man connected to the community in Chonburi province and currently studying at senior secondary level in England.
Associate Professor Dr Inthawoot Suppavorasatit, from Department of Food TechnologyFaculty of Science of Chulalongkorn University, shared with us the origins of the development of the innovation “921 Instant Khao Lam”. “Gorngris contacted the Department of Food Technology through his father, an alumnus of Chulalongkorn University who runs a business in Chonburi. He loves cooking and wants to create a project that could help the community in the province. Khao Lam was one of the products he was interested in, as it has a short shelf life.”
“Initially, we thought about and experimented with products that were easy to eat, like a caramel that retained the flavor of khao lam. But ultimately, we decided that khao lam would be best eaten as is, in its original form. So we looked for a way to create a khao lam that wouldn’t spoil and would still be enjoyable for consumers to prepare. 921 khao lam instant”, Assoc. Professor Inthawoot added that in reality, the number 921 is not the name of a variety of rice, but rather a number linked to the birthday of Gorngris, the person who sparked this wonderful idea.
What’s inside Instant Khao Lam?
Usually when we eat khao lam, we use a knife to separate the bamboo to access the sticky rice inside. For instant khao lam 921, the packaging is not bamboo, but rather a paper tube printed with a bamboo design. Inside, the following components are included:
- Partially cooked and dried white and black glutinous rice, packaged in moisture-proof bags.
- An appropriate amount of sugar, packaged in moisture-resistant bags.
- A suitable amount of coconut milk powder, packed in moisture-proof bags.
- Aluminum cups and spoons to mix all the ingredients.
Your own Khao Lam DIY
It only takes 25 minutes to prepare your own Khao Lam by following these simple steps:
- Open the bag of rice and place it in the aluminum cup. Pour hot water over the rice just to cover the rice.
- Add the coconut milk powder and mix well.
- Add sugar to taste. You can add more if you like it sweeter.
- Once all the ingredients are mixed, let sit for about 8 minutes to allow the rice to absorb the water.
- Place the aluminum mold with all the ingredients in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
The journey of Instant Khao Lam
The traditional method of toasting glutinous rice in bamboo cylinders requires cooking the glutinous rice inside the bamboo until it is cooked. This is a lengthy process that takes a lot of time. For Instant Product Assoc. Professor Inthawoot explains: “We need to partially gelatinize the glutinous rice and dry it. Once consumers are ready to cook it, they need to add water and continue cooking. This will allow the sticky rice to return to its original shape and cook faster.
“The difficulty is that Khao Lam contains both black sticky rice and white sticky rice, which take different cooking times. Black sticky rice cooks more slowly, so we had to find the optimal conditions for both types of rice to cook partially and then finish cooking simultaneously in the oven. My initial idea was to microwave, but since they don’t cook at the same time, I had to use the oven instead.”
It’s not just the sticky rice; preparing instant coconut milk for Khao Lam is also a challenge.
“We need to find the right amount and taste of coconut milk for khao lam, which is not only sweet but also savory. This requires the right amount of salt and sugar. Also, we cannot use liquid coconut milk because it spoils easily. We have to use powdered coconut milk instead.”
Assoc. Professor Inthawoot said the coconut milk powder manufacturing technique is a basic technology already available in the food industry called spray drying.
“It’s a drying machine that thickens coconut milk, then exposes it to heat. This evaporates the water, leaving only the solids in the coconut milk. The solids are then collected and made into powdered coconut milk.. Water is then added to return it to its original milk form.
Assoc. Professor Inthawoot said the key to the instant khao lam production process lies in finding the ideal conditions to ensure that all the khao lam ingredients (sticky rice, coconut milk and sugar) are cooked and deliciously balanced at the same time.
“The ideal cooking time must be tested in the laboratory. Glutinous rice and coconut milk, especially those containing sugar, do not finish cooking simultaneously. To find the right conditions, we must try each ingredient separately. If the mixture does not cook properly, we must determine which component is not cooking properly, adjust the conditions, add more water or change other ingredients”, Assoc. Professor Inthawoot added that Mr Gorngris also took part in the experiments, alongside students from the Department of Food Technology.
From laboratory to prototype factory
Once the experiments yield a satisfactory khao lam, it is time to produce it for our consumers. At this stage, Assoc. Professor Inthawoot explained: “When we want to increase production or increase the production volume, we need to consider the issue of packaging. For example, how do you store dry goods for a longer period of time? Chulalongkorn University, located in Saraburi province.
“We took the ideal conditions from the lab and scaled them up in the prototype factory. Students in the department conducted scale-up experiments and once we had the data, Gorngris collaborated on producing and finalizing the finished product.”
Currently, instant khao lam 921 is distributed by GT Innovation Co., Ltd. at 350 Baht per box (containing two servings of khao lam). It is also available at the King Power Duty Free store for purchase to take home or as a gift for those far from the production areas of Khao Lam.
Khao Lam Nong Mon Canned its unique characteristics
Khao lam Nong Mon stands out from other khao lams by its large spherical shape and the richness of coconut milk. The Department of Food Technology in the Faculty of Science has preserved the distinctive flavor of Nong Mon khao lam, adding a flavor and aroma reminiscent of roasted khao lam.
“Those who have tried the instant version of Khao Lam 921 say that the flavor, texture and aroma are very similar to the original. Canned Khao Lam is already available in the market, but the 921 version does not undergo the heat sterilization process like the canned version, resulting in a more authentic aroma, flavor and texture.”
Previously, Chonburi Khao Lam could not be stored for more than two days without refrigeration, but the instant type can be stored without refrigeration for at least six months. After six months it is still edible, but perhaps not as good as when just prepared.
Returning knowledge to the community
Before producing the 921 snapshot Khao Lam, Assoc. Professor Inthawoot and his team studied the production process in the Nong Mon community, including production times, ingredients and production processes. They used the community’s product as a template to develop their own version. They adhered to principles comparable to local products. “Once the finished product was made, we shared this knowledge with the community, showing them that by integrating science and technology, we can take local products much further.” The fame and reputation of our community can expand to the global market if people see the value.
“We shared this story with community entrepreneurs. At that time, there was a seminar organized by the Saensuk Subdistrict Municipality. We invited them to see what Khao Lam’s instant product looked like and invited them to taste it. They agreed that it was similar to locally made products and could see that this did not mean it competed with their local market.”
Finally, Assoc. Professor Inthawoot gave this advice to scientists who want to expand their knowledge to develop products: “If you want to develop products using scientific knowledge, you must understand what you are doing and do it sincerely and according to scientific principles.”
Instant Khao Lam 921 is an example of a product that continues the legacy of community products, combining local wisdom with modern food technology to become an international product.
Those interested in food processing can contact the Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. http://foodtech.sc.chula.ac.th/en/
Continue reading a full article on the site: https://www.chula.ac.th/en/highlight/287329/
About Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University is among the top 50 universities in the world in terms of employment outcomes, reflecting both the high employment rate and work capacity of Chula graduates. The university is also ranked among the best in Thailand for the 15th consecutive year (since 2009), according to the new QS World University Rankings 2024, placing Chula 211th in the world, up from 244th last year.
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