Khanom Krok

Khanom Krok (Thai Coconut Pancakes)

Classic Thai street snack: little half-sphere coconut pancakes with crisp, lacy edges and a soft, salty-sweet custard center, traditionally cooked in a cast-iron khanom krok pan.

Prep

10 min

Cook

25 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4 (makes about 20-24 pieces)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) rice flour, plain white rice flour, not glutinous
• •30 g (¼ cup) tapioca starch, helps give a tender bite; sub with cornstarch if unavailable
• •10 g (2 tsp) baking powder
• •3 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt
• •400 ml (1¾ cups) full-fat coconut milk, well-shaken; two cans of Thai-style coconut milk (about 400 ml / 14 oz each) is typical for street vendors — the extra fat makes richer pockets
• •120 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) palm sugar, chopped; dark brown sugar is the closest sub (palm sugar is less sweet and more caramelly)
• •60 ml (¼ cup) water
• •2 whole (2 green onions) scallions, thinly sliced, green parts only, for the batter
• •60 g (½ cup) fresh sweet corn kernels, optional topping for each well; cut from the cob if possible
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) neutral oil, for greasing the pan between batches

Steps

1. 1 Whisk rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl to combine.
2. 2 In a saucepan over low heat, warm the coconut milk with the chopped palm sugar and water, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves — do not let it boil. Cool to lukewarm.
3. 3 Pour the coconut mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth, then stir in the sliced scallions. The batter should be the consistency of thin pancake batter; if too thick, add water 1 tbsp at a time. Rest 10 minutes.
4. 4 Heat a khanom krok pan (or aebleskiver/takoyaki pan) over medium-low heat. Brush each well lightly with a little neutral oil and let it get hot — a drop of batter should sizzle gently.
5. 5 Fill each well about ¾ full with batter (a small ladle or pitcher works best). Sprinkle 3-4 corn kernels into each well, if using.
6. 6 Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bottoms are deep golden and lacy-crisp and the tops look just set around the edges but still wet in the middle.
7. 7 Using a small spoon or skewer, flip each half-sphere and cook the rounded side another 1-2 minutes, until golden and the inside is cooked through (no wet batter should seep out when pressed).
8. 8 Transfer to a plate and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining batter, re-oiling the wells lightly between each batch.
9. 9 Serve immediately, hot, on their own or with a small dish of palm sugar syrup or pickled vegetables for contrast.