AI-generated image
Timphan
Banana sticky rice parcels with custard
Acehnese banana sticky rice parcels with coconut srikaya custard
Timphan is the pride of Aceh's Lebaran table: soft, chewy parcels of mashed banana and glutinous rice flour wrapped around a thick coconut and egg custard called srikaya, then steamed in banana leaves. Acehnese families make dozens before Eid to serve to guests, and they are also carried home after the holiday as gifts. The dough is sweet and fragrant, the filling silky and caramel-like. Chef's tip: cook the srikaya until it is very thick and cool it before filling, as runny custard leaks out of the parcels while they steam.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the srikaya filling
- 3 eggs
- 4 oz sugar
- ¾ cup thick coconut milk
- 2 pandan leavesknotted
- 1 tbsp cornflour
For the dough
- 3 very ripe bananasmashed
- 9 oz glutinous rice flour
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
To wrap
- 10 banana leavesabout 20 x 15 cm
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 3 eggs, 4 oz sugar, 1 tbsp cornflour and ¾ cup thick coconut milk in a pan, add 2 pandan leaves and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 12–15 minutes until it is as thick as a spoonable jam and coats the spoon heavily. Remove pandan and cool.
15 minStep 2: Mix 3 very ripe bananas, 9 oz glutinous rice flour, 1 pinch salt and ½ cup coconut milk into a soft, smooth dough that does not stick to your hands; add a little flour if needed.
10 minStep 3: Brush the 10 banana leaves with 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Flatten a walnut-sized piece of dough on a leaf, put a teaspoon of filling in the middle and pinch the dough around it. Fold the leaf into a long, narrow parcel. A common mistake is leaving thin spots in the dough, which split in the steamer.
20 minStep 4: Steam over boiling water for 25–30 minutes, until the dough turns slightly translucent and feels springy when pressed through the leaf.
30 minStep 5: Cool for 15 minutes before unwrapping; they firm up as they cool. Keep chilled up to 2 days.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does timphan take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sayur lodehVegetables in coconut milk
Sayur lodeh is everyday cooking in Central Java, made in big pots in Solo and Semarang kitchens and ladled over rice, with lontong rice cakes at Lebaran, or alongside opor and sambal goreng on festive tables. It's soupy rather than thick: a fragrant broth of coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaf that carries chunks of aubergine, long beans, chayote and sweetcorn, plus tempeh and tofu to make it a meal. The flavour is mellow and slightly sweet, so the heat comes from sambal on the side. Chef's tip: keep the pot at a gentle simmer once the coconut milk goes in and stir now and then — a rolling boil splits the coconut milk into oily curds.
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan