Coconut custard in pumpkin (sangkhaya fak thong)



Coconut custard in pumpkin

      Sweet and silky creamy coconut custard in pumpkin. One of the most favorite of Thai desserts is coconut custard steamed inside a small pumpkin. Pumpkin pie in which lightly sweetened coconut custard is eaten with soft substance of steamed pumpkin. This is a healthy dessert with vitamin and fiber of pumpkin, it relies on simple ingredients and quite easy cooking to create a perfect balance of both texture.

 

Ingredients: 

• 1-2 small pumpkin
• 5 large eggs
• 300 grams thick coconut cream
• 300 grams palm sugar (coconut palm sugar is recommended) 
• 5 pandan leaves 
• pinch of salt (omitted)

Special utensils: a steamer

 

Preparation

 1. Clean the pumpkin skin, using a sharp knife carefully cut off the stem end of the pumpkin tops to make the lids. Using a small spoon carefully scoop out the pumpkin innards about the seeds and spongy tissues and then discard. Clean well both sides of the pumpkins and set aside.

  2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs with the palm sugar, coconut cream, salt and the pandan leaves. Knead the mixture with the pandan leaves to dissolve the palm sugar and beat the eggs, continue knead until the mixture well combined.  

3. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve and pour the mixture into the pumpkins, leaving 1 inches gap at the top. 

 4. Place water to a boil in a steamer base, turn down heat to medium-low. Put the pumpkins into a bowl slightly bigger then themselves and set the pumpkin lids to aside, place a bowl of pumpkins onto the steamer tray to steam them over medium low heat for about 45 minutes or until the custard is cooked. 

 5. Allow its cool down, serve cut into wedges, warm or cold. 

 Tips: 

• Freshly extracted coconut cream is recommended for custard recipes, key success is the quality of the coconut cream. 
• Steam the pumpkins over medium low heat for silky and smooth custard. Because of the air bubbles are effective from steam over high heat causing the custard to be spongy and split. 
• Filled the custard mixture to the top off cause steamed custard overflows. 
• Using pandan leaves to knead the custard mixture for enhance the fragrance of the custard. Pandan leaves can be substituted with brown dried banana leaves.