Sankaya — pandan custard steamed in a pumpkin

i. Origin & history

Sankaya is one of the great Thai sweets and has Iberian roots: the technique of cooking sweet egg custards came to Thailand with the Portuguese in the seventeenth century, brought by Maria Guyomar de Pinha, who served the Siamese court.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 6 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 1 small kabocha or buttercup squash (1-1.2 kg)
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• 200 g palm sugar
• 250 ml thick coconut milk
• 60 ml pandan juice
• Pinch salt

iii. Method

1. Cut the top off the pumpkin (lid). Scoop out seeds and fibres. Rinse.
2. Whisk yolks, eggs, palm sugar (until dissolved), coconut milk, pandan and salt. Strain.
3. Pour custard into the pumpkin cavity to within 2 cm of the rim. Place pumpkin (without lid) in a steamer over simmering water; cover; steam 45-55 min until the custard is just set and a knife into the centre comes out clean.
4. Cool 30 min. Slice into wedges through pumpkin and custard.

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

Sankaya banana uses ripe banana in the custard. Sankaya bread serves the custard alongside toasted bread. Modern Bangkok cafés bake the custard in individual moulds.

vii. More from Thai

• Khanom Krok — Thai coconut pancakes
• Khanom Chan — Thai layered rice cake
• Buko Pandan — Filipino young-coconut pandan jelly
• Malabi — Levantine rose milk pudding
• Quindim — Brazilian coconut-egg custard
• Dadar Gulung — coconut pandan crêpes