This yummy Thai pumpkin dessert features creamy pieces of kabocha squash simmered in sweet coconut milk. It's a wonderful way to end a Thai meal, and also great as a sweet, yet satisfying snack.
With pumpkins abundant, this is the perfect time of year to make Thai pumpkin dishes. Last month, I made a delicious Red Curry with Pumpkin (Gang Ped Faktong) and a sweet and creamy Thai Coconut Custard cooked in a Pumpkin (Sankaya Faktong).
Today's recipe is for another delicious Thai pumpkin dessert known as Gang Buad Faktong. Gang Buad is a Thai phrase that means "cooked in sweet coconut milk". Pumpkin (known as faktong in Thai) is one of the common choices, but several different fruits and vegetables can be prepared this way. The dessert is exactly what its name states: bite-sized pieces of pumpkin cooked in a sweet and slightly salty coconut milk base.
When my Thai mother in law visited last month, she made this dessert for us. As I watched over her shoulder, she reassured me that this dish is simple enough that even I could make it. And if it's simple enough for me, then you can certainly make it too!
Ingredients
- Coconut Milk: Coconut milk forms the base of this dessert. Canned coconut milk works great, just be sure to shake the can before opening so that the thinner and thicker coconut milk layers mix together.
- Water: Water helps thin the coconut milk so that the dessert isn't too heavy.
- Pumpkin: Kabocha squash is the pumpkin of choice for this dessert, as it most closely mimics the pumpkins available in Thailand. Cut open, scoop the seeds out, and slice the flesh into bite-sized pieces. Since the skin is edible when cooked, you can leave it on for a nice pop of green color, or remove it if you prefer.
- Palm Sugar: Palm sugar provides the sweetness. If you don't have palm sugar, granulated sugar or brown sugar can work as substitutes, although you will miss out on the characteristic palm sugar flavor.
- Salt: Salt is added so that this dessert is not one-dimensionally sweet.
Instructions
This Thai pumpkin dessert can be made in 30 minutes, with most of that time just allowing for the pumpkin to cook. Follow these simple steps:
Mix coconut milk and water in a saucepan. Turn burner to medium high.
Add palm sugar and salt and stir until incorporated fully.
Add the pumpkin and simmer over medium heat until tender.
Serve while still hot. Drizzle a little coconut milk on top, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Pandan is commonly used to flavor the coconut milk of this dessert. It is not necessary, but is a nice-to-have addition, kind of like vanilla in western desserts. Fresh or frozen pandan leaves will both work. To use, tie one or two leaves into a knot. Then add the knots to the coconut milk and pumpkin while it's cooking. Remove before serving.
As the pumpkin simmers in the coconut milk, the coconut milk will take on some of the orange pumpkin color. If you prefer for the coconut milk to stay more white, you could cook the pumpkin in plain water then transfer to the sweetened coconut milk once it's tender. Alternatively, some Thai chefs will soak the raw pumpkin in water with limestone paste prior to cooking so that the pumpkin retains its firmness during cooking. Palm sugar also contributes some color to the coconut milk, so you could use half palm sugar and half white granulated sugar in the recipe.
Variations
Gang Buad refers to a class of Thai desserts in which a main ingredient is simmered in sweetened coconut milk. Aside from pumpkin, some other common variations include taro, sweet potato, banana, black beans, and corn.
Recipe
Pumpkin in Coconut Milk | Gang Buad Faktong | แกงบวดฟักทอง
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup palm sugar
- 2 cups kabocha squash
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Wash the kabocha squash. Cut it in half and scoop the seeds out. Then cut into bite-sized pieces, leaving the skin on or cutting it off, depending on your preference.
- Add coconut milk and water to a small saucepan. Turn the burner on to medium high, then add the palm sugar and salt. Stir to incorporate.
- Add the bite-sized pieces of pumpkin to the pan and allow to simmer in the sweetened coconut milk until they are fork tender. As the pumpkin cooks, froth may accumulate on the top of the pan, which you can scoop off.
- Serve the dessert in a small bowl while still warm. Swirl a spoonful of coconut milk on top, if desired.
Notes
- Pandan is often used to flavor the coconut milk of this dessert in Thailand. Fresh or frozen pandan leaves will both work. If you'd like to use them, knot the pandan leaves and add to the dessert as it simmers, removing before serving.
- As this dessert cooks, the coconut milk takes on the color of the palm sugar as well as the pumpkin. If you prefer for the coconut milk to remain more white, you can boil the pumpkin in water separately and add to the sweetened coconut milk once it's tender. You could also use half palm sugar and half granulated sugar to decrease the color of the coconut milk.
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