Khanom Krok (Coconut-Rice Pancakes)

Coconut-Rice Pancakes or Khanom Krok is possibly the favorite street food of Thailand. Delectable, delicious coconut hotcakes, they are mainly a street food, found by searching for vendors with little circles of coconut mixture cooking in distinct circular cast-iron pans.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 14 ounce cans coconut milk, or 1 ¾ cups coconut cream with 3 ½ cups lighter coconut milk
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 ½ tablespoon tapioca or arrowroot flour
• 3 tablespoon uncooked white rice
• 1/3 cup finely shredded fresh coconut, or ¼ cup dried, unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoon peanut or corn oil

Optional filling ingredients:

• ¼ cup green onions, cut in thin rounds
• ¼ cup fresh corn kernels
• 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves

PREPARATION:

• If using canned coconut milk, spoon into a small saucepan 1 ¾ cup of the creamiest part from the top of three cans of coconut milk.
• Heat just enough to melt and smooth out the lumps.
• Add sugar and stir to dissolve.
• Allow to cool before mixing in 2 ½ tablespoon of tapioca or arrowroot flour.
• Stir until smooth. Set aside.
• Combine the remaining coconut milk from the cans and stir until smooth, heating if necessary to melt the coagulated parts. Allow to cool.
• Grind the uncooked white rice in a food mill or clean coffee grinder as finely as possible.
• Do the same with the shredded coconut.
• Combine the two with the rice flour, salt and coconut milk.
• Stir and mix until well blended and smooth.
• Heat a well-seasoned kanom krok griddle (or substitute with an Ebelskiver pancake griddle) on the stove, in a hot oven or over a small round barbecue kettle with medium-hot charcoals.
• When the griddle is hot, brush the surface indentations with peanut or corn oil.
• Wait a few seconds before spooning the salty rice mixture into each indentation to about two-thirds full.
• The batter should sizzle when it hits the hot metal. (If you have a teakettle with a spout, you may find it helpful as a container from which to pour the rice batter onto the griddle.)
• Before the batter sets, add a dab of the sweet coconut cream mixture over the top to fill and sprinkle the center of each cake with a little bit of one of the toppings, or leave plain.
• Cover with a round lid and allow to cook for a few minutes, or until the pancakes are firm and crispy brown on the bottom.
• Remove gently with a rounded spoon.
• Re-grease the griddle before making the next batch. Because rice flour tends to settle, stir the coconut mixture well before pouring onto the griddle.
• Serve hot.