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UPDATE on September 9, 2022: Tara Thai informed Mothership that it has been instructed by the Singapore Food Agency to stop selling Ant Egg Tom Saap. Instead it is now selling a special variation of the popular Thai night market dish, Leng Saap (Spicy Pork Bone Soup) made from locally-farmed crocodile ribs and bones.
If you're feeling a little adventurous food-wise, you might want to check out Tara Thai.
This small Thai restaurant at Boat Quay offers a rare Thai delicacy: ant eggs.
Tara Thai serves up the ant eggs in one of its appetisers, the Ant Egg Tom Saap. This is a clear soup that is slightly spicy and tangy with mushroom, minced meat, and of course, ant eggs and some ant bodies.
A closer look at the dish:
Photo by Joshua Lee
Photo by Joshua Lee
Taste-wise, the ant eggs had little to no taste. Instead, they took on the taste of the tom saap (sour and spicy soup). The eggs will burst in your mouth, not unlike what you get with ikura (salmonid roe).
All in all, it was quite interesting experience.
This could be something that you might want to try for its novelty factor, although at S$18 (S$19.80 if you include service charge), it's not cheap.
Common in north-eastern Thailand
Commonly eaten in the north-eastern part of Thailand, ant eggs and pupae (called khai mot daeng) are considered rich sources of protein and nutrients.
They are typically taken from weaver ants (or red ants) and are only available in summer.
Eating them raw brings out more of their original taste. Red ants taste like lime (supposedly because they feed on mango leaves) while their eggs have a delicate, tart edge.
The soft taste of ant eggs makes them quite versatile. Aside from soups, they can be added to salads, omelettes, curries, and more.
Tara Thai
Address: 7 Circular Rd, Singapore 049363
Opening Hours:
Monday - Saturday, 5pm - 12am
Closed on Sundays
Top images: Joshua Lee