Last week, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of this blog. This week, the boyfriend and I get to celebrate the anniversary of our first date, once upon a time many years ago! When I asked him what he wanted me to make in celebration of our anniversary, I got a request for khanom krok without a moment's hesitation.
Khanom krok is a coconut dessert that's been described in many ways - as a coconut custard, pudding, pancake, hotcake, cupcake, and so on. I think the reason it's been described in so many ways is that there's really nothing like it in American desserts. Basically, khanom krok are little half moon shaped cups made of a thin, crispy outer layer with a super soft inner coconut layer.
I have had the pan used to make khanom krok in my cupboards for a while now, but had never attempted to make this dessert because it looked pretty intimidating to get right. But with the boyfriend's eager request for our special day, I decided to give it a shot.
Khanom krok is made with two separate batters, a thinner one that forms the crispy outer shell and a thicker one that forms the inner coconut custard. In Thailand, it's apparently common to use limestone paste to achieve the desired level of crispiness in the outer layer. I started with this, trying to be as authentic as possible, but just couldn't get it to taste right. Then I tried baking soda and finally ended up using club soda, which worked like a charm.
The other secret to making these desserts has to do with the pan itself. It's crucial that you start with a well-seasoned khanom krok pan and heat a drop of oil in each well before adding your batter. Once you add the outer batter to each well, you lift the pan off the stove and swirl it so that the batter coats the entire well as shown here. Then you add the inner batter to fill the well.
Like many Thai foods, there are an abundance of different toppings you can add to khanom krok. I had only ever eaten khanom krok plain without any toppings, but it seems like green onions, corn, taro, and even pumpkin are pretty popular toppings in Thailand. I tried the green onions and corn and both were absolutely delicious, albeit in very different ways!
Needless to say, the boyfriend is extremely pleased that I now know how to make these wonderful little desserts. And although they're eaten all throughout the day in Thailand, including for breakfast, this just seems like a dangerous precedent to set. I think in my house, khanom krok will be saved for special occasions like this one!
Recipe
Coconut Custard Dessert | Khanom Krok | ขนมครก
Ingredients
Outer Layer Ingredients:
- ½ cup rice flour
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 Tablespoons cooked jasmine rice
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut finely grated
- 8 Tablespoons club soda
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Inner Layer Ingredients:
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 4 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons rice flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- green onion corn, taro, or pumpkin for toppings
Instructions
- Make the inner layer by combining all of the ingredients and mixing until smooth.
- Next make the outer layer. Mix all ingredients except the cooked jasmine rice, coconut flakes, and 2 tablespoons of the club soda. Pound or blend the rice and coconut flakes with the 2 tablespoons of club soda until they form a fine paste and then incorporate into the rest of the ingredients you just mixed.
- Heat your seasoned khanom krok pan over medium heat. If you're not able to find a khanom krok pan, an Ebelskiver pan apparently works just as well.
- Add a drop of canola oil (~⅛ teaspoon) to each well and let it get hot. It should be hot enough that when you add the batter it sizzles.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the outer layer to each well and then lift the pan (using a pan holder - it's hot!) and swirl it until the batter forms a thin layer around the entire well.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the inner layer to each well to fill it. If you want to add toppings, add them at this point. Then, cover the pan with a top and let it steam for about 5-6 minutes until the bottom layer is golden brown and the top layer is fairly solid.
- Using a butter knife, gently lift each custard from the pan. Serve the khanom krok in pairs of two.
Tara B
Wow, these turned out great! Thanks so much for putting together such detailed instructions. I have been eating these since I was a little kid visiting Thailand every year to see my relatives. Your recipe tastes exactly like the real thing!
Rachel
So glad to hear it, Tara!
Kira Kirk
Hi! I just returned from a great time in Thailand. And...discovering thse amazing litlte things out at a market right when I arrived kept me serching each market and street vendor for more!!! SO delicious!! I decided I needed to buy a pan and get a recipe to make them when back in the USA. I found a few pans online to purchase. I will try your recipe. Thanks!!!
Farakh
Just made these for the first time!!! Thanks for putting this up. We had them in Thai Town in LA and loved them and have wanted to make them ever since. So we got the ingredients and tried it out. Worked awesome. Only issues I had were getting them out of the pan was a bit of a pain. Took a while to get them out of there in once piece. Also, the rice we used was not really smooth so I think I'll use my hand blender next time.
Again, many thanks! We'll be making these on Christmas as well!
Rachel
So glad they turned out for you, Farakh!
Mademoiselle in Sydney
Oh these looks so good! I shall definitely get myself that special pan, have had a Khanom krok craving for quite a while! I've only had them served savoury style in France, with pork on top and fish sauce on the side, but this seems to be a dessert anywhere else! Thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂
Clint
This is one of my favorite desserts, with chives or green onion. I buy out the store every time they have it. So excited to try making my own.
If folks have a hard time finding the right pan; try looking for a cast iron ebelskiver or aebelskiver pan (spelled either way). It's almost identical but marketed for swedish desserts. I bought one by Lodge Cast Iron, and now that I found a recipe I'm set to try it!
Rachel
Thanks for the tip, Christina! I can't wait to try that next time!
Christina
If you don't know this already, here's a little tip I learned from a nice woman. You can grease the pan with a tightly wound bundle of pandanus leaves (ใบเตย). It adds to the flavor na.