Fak-Thong means pumpkin and Sang-Kha-Ya refers to coconut custard, a dessert of coconut milk, eggs and coconut palm sugar.
The custard is kneaded with Pandanus leaves to enhance the aroma and fragrance of the custard. This is a filling and delicious dessert that is
commonly found in any local Thai market. This dish also can be a fun and creative family cooking activity for example if the kids are old
enough to try out their carving skills!
Preparation
- Clean pumpkin skin very well. Do not remove the stem. Cut the top off about 1" down
from the top. Then cut a round hole into the center to remove seeds and spongy tissue. Clean inside and
pat dry.
- Clean and cut Pandanus leaves into 6-7 inch long pieces. Pat dry.
- Open the coconut can. Discard the water-like part and place the creamy part in a bowl (about
1 cup).
Directions
- In a bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Mix in all the ingredients, except pumpkin. Knead with
Pandanus leaves until palm sugar is melted and custard blends well.
- Use cheese cloth to strain custard, prepared in step 1.
- Place pumpkin on a plate. Pour custard into the pumpkin all the way to the top.
- Boil water in a simmer pot. Turn down heat to medium-low. Place plate of pumpkin in the
simmer pot's basket. Cover the lid. The boiling water should not touch the basket.
- Cook for about 30 minutes or until cooked.
- Cool down. Cut into wedges for serving.
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Before Cooking
- Use a small pumpkin. Japanese pumpkins (Kabocha) can be found at most Asian grocery stores. Thai pumpkins are hard to find.
- Use medium-low heat for steaming the pumpkin for a smooth custard.
- Using Pandanus leaves to knead the custard helps enhance the fragrance of the custard.
- Fresh coconut milk is the best for making Thai desserts. If canned coconut is used, Chao
Kao brand is recommended. Do not shake the can because we will need to separate the coconut creamy milk and the water-like part.
- Coconut Palm sugar can be substituted with Palm sugar.
- Time for steaming varies depending on the size of the pumpkin and how thick the pumpkin is. Some pumpkins may take more than 1 hour.
A 2-pound Kabocha pumpkin can take up to 1 hour 45 minutes. While steaming, try not to open a lid which may cause cracks on a pumpkin.
- To test whether the custard is cooked or not, use a toothpick and stick into the middle of the custard. If cooked, the toothpick
should have some custard stick to it.
- Serve when the pumpkin cools down. Do not cut into pieces when it is hot because it might break the custard.
Ingredients
1 Small pumpkin
2-4 Pandanus leaves
5 Eggs
1 cup Creamy coconut milk
1 cup Coconut palm sugar
1 tablespoon Rice flour
Also have available 1 Toothpick
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