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Fak thong kaeng buat (Thai pumpkin in coconut milk)
Kabocha pumpkin simmered in salted palm-sugar coconut milk
When the rains end and pumpkins pile up in the markets of central Thailand, kaeng buat is what cooks make with them: chunks of dense kabocha simmered in coconut milk sweetened with palm sugar and sharpened with a pinch of salt. It is a homely, everyday dessert, sold warm from big pots at markets in the afternoon and also cooked at Ok Phansa, the end of Buddhist Lent. The pumpkin turns velvety but keeps its shape, and the thin, creamy, caramel-scented broth is meant to be drunk from the spoon. Eat it warm or at room temperature, in small bowls. There is no egg in it and never was: nothing needs setting or binding, as the pumpkin's own starch gives the coconut milk a light body as it cooks. Chef's tip: pick a dry, orange-fleshed kabocha and keep the coconut milk at a bare simmer; letting it boil hard is the common mistake that splits the milk and breaks the pumpkin into mush.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 16 oz kabocha pumpkinpeeled, seeded, cut into 3 cm chunks (prepared weight)
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- ¾ cup water
- 3 ⅛ oz palm sugarchopped
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 pandan leaves (optional)knotted
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, ¾ cup water and 2 pandan leaves, if using, in a wide pan and warm over a medium heat until steaming, stirring often.
4 minStep 2: Add 3 ⅛ oz palm sugar and ½ tsp salt and stir until dissolved; taste, it should be sweet with a clear salty edge.
Step 3: Add 16 oz kabocha pumpkin in a single layer and bring back to a bare simmer, with only small bubbles at the edge. Don't let it boil hard.
3 minStep 4: Simmer gently, uncovered, for 12–15 minutes, turning the pieces once, until a knife slides through the pumpkin easily but the chunks hold their shape.
14 minStep 5: Take off the heat, remove the pandan and rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with plenty of the coconut broth.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fak thong kaeng buat (Thai pumpkin in coconut milk) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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