Khanom Krok — small coconut rice-flour pancakes

i. Origin & history

Khanom krok belong to the wider Southeast Asian family of small coconut-rice-flour pancakes that includes the Indonesian serabi. The Thai version is smaller, more compact, and most often served plain.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 150 g rice flour
• 30 g cooked rice (mashed)
• 250 ml coconut milk
• 60 g sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 300 ml thick coconut milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil for pan
• 2 tbsp chopped spring onion (traditional)
• 2 tbsp sweet corn (modern)

iii. Method

1. Blend rice flour, cooked rice, coconut milk, sugar and salt to a thin batter; rest 15 min.
2. Mix thick coconut milk with 2 tbsp sugar and 0.5 tsp salt — this is the topping.
3. Heat a khanom krok pan; brush each well with oil.
4. Fill each well two-thirds with the thin batter. Cook 60 seconds.
5. Top with a spoonful of the thick coconut milk. Sprinkle with spring onion or corn.
6. Cover with a small lid for 90 seconds until the topping is just set. Lift out two at a time, pressing them together (the round bases facing in) into a sphere.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Khanom krok with taro, pandan, sweet corn, or sweet potato are all common variants. Modern dessert café khanom krok sometimes adds chocolate or matcha.

vii. More from Thai

• Serabi — Indonesian coconut pancakes
• Kue Cubit — Indonesian pinch cakes
• Kue Apem — yeasted rice cupcakes
• Klepon — Indonesian palm-sugar balls
• Khanom Chan — Thai layered rice cake
• Dadar Gulung — pandan coconut crêpes