Khanom Krok Sweet Dessert Thailand

After our sumptuous lunch on our raft boat house, it was time for dessert and we made khanom krok or coconut pancake. (Also spelt "kanom" without the "h" ). 

Actually, it was a blend of coconut milk and milled rice solution.

The coconut milk - rice solution in a kettle was poured into little cups indented in an iron griddle pan which was set over red hot embers in a charcoal stove. 

The cups were greased with oil beforehand, to prevent the pancakes from sticking to the bottom of the cups when cooked. 

When all the cups were filled with coconut milk and rice solution, the griddle was covered, and its contents allowed to bake for a while.

Once ready, the pancakes were scooped out of the cup with a spoon one by one.

The pancakes were lightly browned at the bottom while the topside was white like fishball. It was soft tender, spongy, moist, smooth from coconut milk with a bit of subtle crisp from the browned underside. 

The pancake sizzling hot, tasted savoury sweet and was eaten with sugar at the side. 

Me, I just like my khanom krok with a cup of hot bitter coffee. 

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The word "khanom" (Thai: ขนม) is a compound word of "khao" or rice (ข้าว) and "khnom" or sweet (หนม). The word "khanom" in the Thai sense means a snack or sweet made of rice. Krok means mortar in Thai, presumably referring to the cup indented pan.

Within Thai cuisine, there are many variations of khanom krok. For example, there can be many different toppings such as scallion, corn, grated coconut pulp, shrimp, and even shredded chicken, etc.

There's khanom krok bai toei where the coconut milk and rice solution pancake is infused with pandan leaf juice. Hence, khanom krok bai toei has the characteristic green pandan leaf colour and its sweet fragrance.

Sometimes, the two pancakes are clasped together into a ball. One half can be sweet while the other savoury.

A popular story about this round type of khanom krok said the families of a couple, Gati and Pang forbidded them from being together. They eloped but fell and died embracing each other. The two halves of the khanom krok ball are said to represent the two ill fated lovers, one savoury, the other sweet.

I enjoyed khanom krok and will look out for them in Thailand and at Thai eateries around the world. They are delicious and fun as there are so many variations and flavours!

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My taste of khanom krok was part of our amazing 5 Day tour of south Thailand 👈 click

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Written by Tony Boey on 30 Sep 2024