I had never eaten kanom krok (aka Thai coconut cakes or Thai coconut custard) when I attempted to make it during a recent Live Asian Kitchen broadcast. Without a frame of reference as to how it should taste, I found both the recipe I used and the final outcome somewhat perplexing. First of all, it produced a gooey topping that had no chance of setting since it was basically just sugar and coconut cream, and secondly, it just tasted one-dimensional and overly sweet.
Since that first attempt, I’ve managed to dig deeper into this popular Thai street snack, and it’s clear that the original recipe was flawed (it fortified my belief that the internet is full of recipes that should never see the light of day). Here’s one adapted from other sources including Temple of Thai, that makes a lot more sense –
Kanom Krok – Thai Coconut Cakes
INGREDIENTS:
Bottom layer –
⅓ cup desiccated coconut
2 cups rice flour
2 tsp salt
3 ½ cups coconut milk
Top layer –
1 ¾ cups coconut cream
¼ cup sugar
2 ½ TBSP tapioca starch
Fillings (optional) –
¼ cup spring onion, sliced
¼ cup corn kernels
3 TBSP oil
Kanom krok or takoyaki pan, or similar
METHOD:
- Combine bottom layer ingredients and mix well.
- Combine top layer ingredients in a blender and blitz until sugar is dissolved.
- Heat mould and grease lightly with oil.
- When it starts smoking, fill moulds to ⅔ full with bottom batter.
- Add the top batter immediately, then sprinkle with optional filling ingredients.
- Cover and cook for about 5 minutes on low heat, or until crispy and browned on the bottom.
- Remove and serve.
