Why It Works
- Utilizing a kabocha squash that weighs as shut to 2 kilos as doable leaves little room for error in cooking time and ingredient ratios.
- Tempering the eggs and cooking the custard at a gradual low temperature leads to a silky easy dessert.
- Baking the custard-filled pumpkin as a substitute of the extra conventional steaming methodology leads to a extra visually pleasing dessert with a extra concentrated squash taste.
The one time you’ll discover me carving a pumpkin is to make sangkaya faktong, a conventional Thai dessert by which a hollowed-out kabocha squash is crammed with a creamy pandan-scented coconut milk custard. Whereas we name it a squash in North America, kabocha in Japanese means pumpkin, which is translated to faktong in Thai. On this recipe, the entire gourd is cooked till tender and sliced into wedges like a pie. It’s historically steamed, however I discover that baking it at a gradual low temperature is simpler, tastes higher, and leads to a prettier pumpkin for exhibiting off than when steamed—it is the right dramatic centerpiece in your Thanksgiving desk or any festive event.
Whereas sangkaya faktong’s show-stopping presentation would possibly give the impression that it’s difficult to make, my model is definitely comparatively straightforward to assemble and prepare dinner (apart from its prolonged hands-off baking time). It is a true “low effort, excessive reward” recipe that’s very best for serving to visitors. Right here’s how you can assure a silky set custard encased in a young, completely baked pumpkin each time.
Critical Eats / Shri Repp
Deciding on the Proper Pumpkin for Sangkaya Faktong
Can You Substitute Kabocha for One other Squash?
Individuals have requested me if they’ll make sangkaya faktong with a distinct winter squash than a kabocha. I’ve been across the pumpkin patch sufficient instances in my life and actually do assume kabocha is greatest fitted to this dish. It’s sweeter than different squashes (with a stunning chestnut word) however has a denser texture than, say, a sugar pumpkin, which could collapse earlier than the custard units as a consequence of its thinner, much less dense partitions. Plus, you possibly can’t go flawed with the hanging distinction between kabocha’s deep inexperienced rind and shiny orange flesh that’s showcased as soon as sliced.
The Greatest Pumpkin Measurement for Sangkaya Faktong
Many sangkaya faktong recipes aren’t precisely foolproof—telling you to regulate substances and cooking time relying on the dimensions of your pumpkin. Luckily, grocery shops and farmers markets have scales, and I like to recommend you utilize one to discover a small kabocha that’s about two kilos. In case you observe my directions under with a roughly two-pound kabocha, you’ll get a wonderfully cooked and seasoned pumpkin and custard filling with little room for error.
Baking vs. Steaming Sangkaya Faktong
Conventional sangkaya faktong recipes, together with recipes for a lot of different Thai desserts like kanom tuay and kanom chan, name for steaming the custard-filled pumpkin because the cooking methodology as a result of ovens weren’t frequent in households again within the day. Whereas older generations of Thai cooks are nonetheless much less prone to prepare dinner with an oven (my mother makes use of hers for storage), I, a contemporary Thai-American prepare dinner, embrace my oven. I discover that baking sangkaya faktong at a low regular temperature will get higher outcomes.
Critical Eats / Shri Repp
Steaming may cause the pumpkin flesh to get waterlogged and cut up—one of many fundamental causes individuals assume this dish is a ache to make. Steaming on the stovetop additionally requires fixed monitoring and extra care to maintain a gradual warmth stage. Whereas baking takes longer, it’s extra hands-off and leads to caramelized and buttery pumpkin flesh that is fantastic when eaten with the marginally candy and creamy custard. Baking the custard inside a pumpkin additionally insulates it behind the kabocha’s thick, moist partitions, so there’s minimal danger of overcooking the custard. Whether or not steamed or baked, the custard is protected against drastic temperature modifications contained in the pumpkin.
As soon as the pumpkin is baked, you’ll be tempted to tuck into it straight away, nevertheless it’s vital to attend a minimum of half-hour earlier than slicing into this masterpiece so the custard has time to chill and set correctly. This ensures the right wedge of tender, creamy squash crammed with wealthy custard. This dessert is equally scrumptious heat, at room temperature, and chilled—some individuals assume it tastes greatest chilly, so when you’ve got any leftovers, simply get pleasure from them straight out of the fridge.