Method
- Whisk both rice flours, shredded coconut, cooked rice, half a teaspoon of salt, 200ml coconut milk and water into a smooth, runny batter — like cream. Rest 30 minutes for the starches to hydrate.
- Combine the remaining 150ml coconut milk with sugar and salt in a small pot. Warm until the sugar dissolves; do not boil. This is the topping cream.
- Heat a khanom krok pan (a cast-iron mould with twelve hemispheric wells) over medium until a drop of water dances. Brush each well with a thin coat of oil.
- Pour the batter into each well to fill about 70%. Cover with the pan's domed lid and cook one minute — the bottoms should set with a faint sizzle.
- Spoon the topping cream over each half-sphere to fill to the rim. Add a pinch of spring onion, corn or taro to half of them. Cover and cook three to four more minutes; the shells should release from the wells when tapped.
- Lift each half-sphere out with a small spoon and sandwich them in pairs — bottom-to-bottom — to form full spheres. Serve warm; cold khanom krok lose their textural drama.
Common questions
Can Khanom Krok be made ahead?
Khanom Krok is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 25 minutes.
Is Khanom Krok spicy?
Khanom Krok as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Khanom Krok vegetarian or gluten-free?
Khanom Krok is suitable for vegetarian (and vegan if dairy is omitted) diets.
How hard is Khanom Krok to make at home?
Khanom Krok sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 45 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can Khanom Krok be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Khanom krok belongs to the great family of Thai khanom — bite-size sweets cooked over charcoal at temple fairs and afternoon markets. The cast-iron well pan is a fixture of any old kitchen and a tell-tale sign of an auntie who knows what she's doing. The savoury topping (spring onion) versus the sweet (corn) is a personal preference; sandwiching one of each is the move. Everything in Thai khanom culture is meant to be eaten within minutes of cooking.
