Khao Kriap Pak Mo: A Thin Rice Sheet Steamed on Cloth at the Mouth of a Pot
Look for a soft, white, translucent wrapper around a sweet-salty filling of pork, salted radish and peanuts. The wrapper steams directly on a cloth stretched across the pot, one sheet at a time.
Water boils in a wide pot, and steam rises through a cloth pulled tight across the rim. A little thin white batter goes onto the cloth and is spread into a round with the back of a ladle. The lid comes down for about 20 seconds, and when it lifts, the batter has become a translucent sheet. A small spoonful of cooled filling goes in the center, and a spatula folds the soft sheet around it.
That is khao kriap pak mo (ข้าวเกรียบปากหม้อ), a Thai snack whose name points to the mouth of the pot where it cooks. The steaming method shapes the dish. The sheet is not placed in a steamer basket, and the filling is added only after the wrapper has cooked. It is not a sticky-rice dumpling or a fried cracker.
This recipe follows a single post by Muthita Kaboundee on Wongnai Cooking. It is one home cook's version, not a publisher-verified recipe, and we have not kitchen-tested it. The pictures show each action but cannot confirm amounts, time, temperature, hygiene or safety. For more of the country's dishes, see our Thailand page.
What We Kept and What We Added to This Version
The amounts and order of cooking come from Muthita Kaboundee's ingredient list and five-part method. A few points need explaining:
- Pepper: The ingredient list gives 2 tbsp ground pepper, while the method describes pounding peppercorns. The color or type of pepper is not named. We use the listed ground form and keep the full 2 tbsp, which is a large amount. We have not been able to confirm the intended form with the author.
- Garlic oil: The list gives 3 tbsp, and the method uses it to stop parcels sticking to the receiving plate. The post gives no further breakdown, so we do not add it to the filling.
- Yield and timing: The post is labeled as 1 serving but gives no parcel count, wrapper diameter or total time, so we do not supply them.
- Pot setup: Our steps put the water and cloth on a cold pot before any heat is applied. This is our safety arrangement and differs from the word order in the post.
- Pork temperature: The thermometer check in step 5 is our safety addition, not the author's instruction. It uses Japan's household guidance of 75°C at the center for 1 minute. FoodSafety.gov lists 71°C for ground pork, checked with a food thermometer. These figures come from different agencies and are not presented as interchangeable.
- Raw garnishes: Washing the raw vegetables and keeping them apart from tools used on raw meat are also our additions, based on Japanese government food-safety guidance.
Ingredients: Wrapper, Filling and Finishing
Equipment
- Wide-mouth pot with a lid
- Clean food-use cloth, such as light unbleached cotton muslin, washed before its first use
- Cooking fasteners labeled as resistant to steam and the heat of a boiling pot
- Mortar and pestle
- Skillet and spatula
- Food thermometer
- Mixing bowl and whisk or spoon
- Ladle
- Food-use spatula for lifting the wrappers
- Shallow plate for cooling the filling
- Receiving tray or plate for the finished parcels
- Clean knives and cutting boards, with separate tools for raw meat and for food eaten raw
Check the product label of any fastener, and do not use fasteners without a heat and steam statement. Never seal the pot: leave the edge gap in step 9 open, and rest the lid loosely. Keep the cloth out of the water and tuck loose ends away from the burner. Steam can burn, so keep your hands and face clear when you lift the lid.
Choosing and Swapping: What Holds and What Changes
Each of these changes the result to some degree.
| Item | How to choose | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| Rice flour | Look for plain rice flour at Asian grocers or baking suppliers. A fine grind is a reasonable choice | Products differ, so we cannot promise any one matches |
| Tapioca starch | Ask for it by name, as tapioca starch or flour | Do not replace it with potato starch |
| Salted radish | Look for ไชโป๊เค็ม at Thai grocers | Do not use sweet pickled radish. Japanese takuan varies by product, so check its salt and sweetness and expect a different flavor. Keep the amount at 50 g |
| Thai garlic | Ordinary garlic is an alternative | It will not smell the same |
| Coriander root | Buy coriander with the roots attached | Leaves and stems smell different. If you cannot find roots, leaving them out is safer than treating leaves as an equal swap |
| Fish sauce | Use a bottle sold as fish sauce or nam pla | Salt and aroma differ by product. Do not quietly swap in soy sauce |
| Peanuts | Unsalted peanuts make the seasoning easier to judge | Salted peanuts will add salt to the filling |
This dish contains peanuts, fish sauce and soybean oil. Check the labels on ready-made items such as fried garlic and garlic oil as well.
Method: Cook and Cool the Filling, Then Steam One Sheet at a Time
Coat the tray in step 15 before you steam the first sheet so each finished parcel has somewhere to go. The filling must be cool before wrapping, so make it first.
When Something Looks Wrong: Checks at the Pan and the Pot
| What you notice | What to check | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The filling tastes too salty | Salted radish varies by product | Check the label and taste a small piece before you cook next time. Do not switch to sweet pickled radish, which makes a different filling |
| The filling is still wet after about 10 minutes | The time is only a guide, and stoves differ | Keep cooking over low heat until it begins to dry |
| The filling is still warm when you are ready to wrap | It has not cooled long enough | Spread it out on the shallow plate and wait |
| The cloth sags or touches the water | The cloth is loose, or the water is too high | Turn off the heat and let the pot cool before adjusting. Do not re-tie the cloth over a hot pot |
| No steam comes out at the edge | The gap may be closed | Turn off the heat and let the pot cool, then reopen a gap of about 2 cm. Never seal the pot |
| The sheet is thick | Too much batter or not enough spreading | Use about half a ladle and spread it thinly with the back of the ladle |
| The sheet does not look cooked after about 20 seconds | The time is only a guide | Cover it again and recheck before adding filling |
| Parcels stick to the tray | The tray needs more oil | Coat it again with garlic oil before adding more parcels |
Variations: Other Cooks' Choices, Kept Separate
The following details come from other sources and are not part of this recipe. We have not tested them or combined them with these amounts.
| What changes | Where it appears | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Starch blend | KRUA describes mixing tapioca, tao yai mom or mung bean flour into a mostly rice-flour wrapper | Cooks use these blends to adjust softness and elasticity |
| Steaming time | BlackPiano's Pantip post steams the sheet for about 40 seconds | This is another cook's timing, for a different recipe |
| Folding | BlackPiano's post folds the left and right sides over the filling | One way to shape the parcel. We set no required fold count |
| Radish preparation | Kapook's repost of the same Pantip recipe washes and squeezes the salted radish | Muthita Kaboundee's method does not require this, and it would change the seasoning |
Any change to the wrapper leaves the pork check in step 5 unchanged. The wrapper's steaming time has no bearing on whether the filling is safe.
Where the Dish Sits: Among Thailand's Steamed Rice Sheets
KRUA, a Thai cooking publisher, describes traditional khao kriap pak mo as having a stir-fried radish-based filling with a sweet-salty flavor. Muthita Kaboundee's version builds on the same idea with pork, salted radish and roasted peanuts, balanced by palm sugar and fish sauce.
KRUA also explains that steamed cloth-pot sheets take several forms. Kuay tiao pak mo (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวปากหม้อ) has a similar name but is eaten with soup. Vietnamese banh cuon-style sheets and Cantonese cheung fun also differ in their fillings and how they are served. The cloth method alone does not identify the dish, so look at the filling and the way it is served as well.
BlackPiano's Pantip post records the same kind of handwork: a white cloth on a wide pot, a gap at the edge for steam, and a thinly spread sheet. Kapook's page reposts that recipe, so we count the two as one work, not as independent evidence.
We make no claims here about the dish's age or specific origin, because we could not confirm them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a crispy snack?
No. This version is a soft, white, translucent steamed wrapper around a savory filling. It is not a fried cracker or a sticky-rice dumpling.
How many parcels does this make?
We can't say. The author's post labels the recipe as 1 serving but gives no parcel count, wrapper diameter or total time. The amounts we can give are about half a ladle of batter and about 1 tsp filling per wrapper.
Is 2 tbsp of pepper a mistake?
We can't confirm that either way. The post lists 2 tbsp ground pepper but mentions peppercorns in the method, and it does not name a color or type. We keep the listed form and amount rather than quietly changing them, so expect a strongly peppery filling.
Does the 20-second steam cook the pork?
No. The 20 seconds is for the wrapper, and the filling has already been cooked. The check for the pork is the food thermometer in step 5. Neither the 10-minute cooking time nor the look of the filling proves it is safe.
Do I need a special pot?
The method needs a wide-mouth pot, a lid, a clean food-use cloth and fasteners labeled for steam and heat. Check your fasteners' labels, and make sure the setup leaves the edge gap open.
Can I use potato starch instead of tapioca starch?
We advise against it. This recipe calls for tapioca starch, and we have no basis for saying potato starch would give the same wrapper.
Can I store or reheat leftovers?
The recipe gives no storage or reheating guidance, so we do not offer times or methods. It also does not cover making your own salted radish or storing homemade garlic oil, so use store-bought versions.
Sources
- Muthita Kaboundee, Wongnai Cooking, "สูตร ข้าวเกรียบปากหม้อ พร้อมวิธีทำโดย Muthita Kaboundee." The main recipe: all ingredients, amounts, method and serving. A personal post with no sign of editorial verification. https://www.wongnai.com/recipes/ugc/393933a45067459bb37fe05540010a84
- KRUA.CO / Saengdad Publishing, "ปากหม้อแป้งสด เนื้อนุ่ม อร่อยได้หลายแบบ." The traditional sweet-salty filling, wrapper starch blends, and differences from similar steamed rice dishes. Not used for this recipe's amounts or steps. https://krua.co/cooking_post/pak-mo
- BlackPiano, Pantip, "ข้าวเกรียบปากหม้อ." Another cook's cloth-pot handwork, steam gap, about 40 seconds of steaming and folding. Not used for this recipe's amounts or timing. https://pantip.com/topic/32985459
- Kapook Cooking, "ข้าวเกรียบปากหม้อ ของว่างแป้งนุ่มไส้ล้นกินอร่อยทำสนุก." A credited repost of BlackPiano's post, including washing and squeezing the salted radish. Not an independent recipe. https://cooking.kapook.com/view162044.html
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan), "家庭でできる食中毒予防の６つのポイント." Household guidance of 75°C at the center for 1 minute, and separating raw and cooked equipment. Editorial safety addition. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/shokuhin/syokuchu/01_00006.html
- FoodSafety.gov, "Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature." The 71°C figure for ground pork and the use of a food thermometer, given here for comparison. https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan), "生野菜を安全でおいしく食べるために." Washing vegetables under running drinkable water, washing hands with soap, and using a clean knife and board. Editorial safety addition. https://www.maff.go.jp/j/syouan/seisaku/foodpoisoning/fresh_vege.html
- Viet World Kitchen, banh cuon cloth guidance. The recommendation of light unbleached cotton muslin as a steaming cloth. It does not cover fastening the cloth to a pot. https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/?p=467
