Coconut pikelets (kanom babin)

A typical Thai sweet treat is kanom babin. A good kanom babin should be quite crisp, yet luscious, without being too coloured. Each of the flours used in these toasted pikelets have different characteristics, which give the dough a crunch, weight, texture and lightness.

• makes

  15

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 40 g (½ cup) sticky rice flour, sifted
• 20 g (2 tbsp) plain flour, sifted
• 20 g (2 tbsp) rice flour, sifted
• 20 g (2 tbsp) arrowroot flour, sifted
• 1 g (1 pinch) salt
• about 125 ml (½ cup) jasmine water (or plain water will do)
• 180 g (1 cup) heaped palm sugar
• 125 g (½ cup) coconut cream
• 1-2 pandanus leaf, tied in a knot
• 3 large chicken eggs
• 360 g (3 cups) finely shredded fresh coconut flesh
• 125 g (½ cup) coconut cream, extra
• 80 g (¼ cup) coconut oil

Resting time 1 hour

Instructions

Make the dough by combining the flours and salt, then mix in the water gradually until you get a smooth, almost firm dough. Wrap in a tea towel and allow to rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature.

Combine the coconut cream, palm sugar and pandanus leaf in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until it just begins to boil. Allow to cool slightly until just warm.

Using your hands, work the dough into the coconut syrup until it is dissolved, then and pass the mixture through a sieve.

Stir in the grated coconut, then add the eggs, one at a time. Finally add the extra ½ cup coconut cream and combine until you have a thick almost-pancake-like batter.

Heat a heavy-based frypan over medium heat, then smear with the coconut oil. Place spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot pan, making sure you have a good coconut flesh to mixture ratio. Once the mixture begins to bubble up like a pikelet, turn over and cook the other side, begin careful to not let them scorch.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.