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Num akor
Steamed palm sugar rice cakes
Num akor (នំអាកោ): fluffy little steamed rice cakes sweetened with palm sugar and capped with salted coconut
Tiny, springy and the colour of light caramel, num akor are sold from bamboo trays at Cambodian markets in the early morning and appear on the sweets table at weddings and pagoda ceremonies. A rice-flour batter sweetened with palm sugar is left to bubble with yeast, then steamed in small cups so it rises into a soft, airy dome with a faint fermented tang. A spoonful of salted grated coconut on top balances the sweetness. People tend to overfill the cups or lift the steamer lid early, and both give flat, dense cakes with a sunken top. Chef's tip: stir the risen batter just once before pouring, fill each cup only three-quarters, and wrap the steamer lid in a tea towel so drips can't pock the surface.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the cakes
- 4 oz palm sugargrated or chopped
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 7 oz rice flournot glutinous
- 1 oz tapioca starch
- 1 ½ tsp fast-action dried yeast
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oilfor the cups
For the topping
- 3 ½ oz freshly grated or frozen grated coconutthawed; or 60 g desiccated coconut soaked in 3 tbsp hot water
- ¼ tsp salt
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Warm 4 oz palm sugar with 1 cup water in a small pan over a low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until dissolved. Take off the heat, add ½ cup coconut milk and leave until lukewarm, about blood temperature.
3 minStep 2: Whisk 7 oz rice flour, 1 oz tapioca starch, 1 ½ tsp fast-action dried yeast and ¼ tsp salt in a large bowl. Pour in the warm syrup and whisk for 2 minutes into a smooth, pourable batter like thick cream.
Step 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 60–90 minutes, until the surface is covered in small bubbles and the batter smells slightly yeasty and sweet.
75 minStep 4: Meanwhile, mix 3 ½ oz freshly grated or frozen grated coconut with ¼ tsp salt and keep chilled.
Step 5: Brush 18 small cups (egg-cup size, silicone muffin cups or small ramekins) with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and set them in a steamer basket. Bring the water in the steamer to a rolling boil.
Step 6: Heat the empty cups in the steamer for 2 minutes; hot cups help the cakes rise and split open on top.
2 minStep 7: Stir the batter once, gently, and pour it into the hot cups until three-quarters full.
Step 8: Cover with a lid wrapped in a tea towel and steam over a high heat for 15–18 minutes without lifting the lid, until the cakes have domed and a skewer comes out clean.
18 minStep 9: Turn off the heat and leave for 2 minutes before opening, so they don't collapse. Lift out and cool for 5 minutes, then ease each cake out with a small knife.
7 minStep 10: Top each cake with a teaspoon of the salted coconut and serve warm or at room temperature the same day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does num akor take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 80 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
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