Brown Cookie Blog: Thai Steamed Banana Cake

Finished Product- Steamed Banana Cake

Cooking School In Chiang Mai- Part I

Hello everybody,

With my instructor, Pon. He was very patient with me as I tapped away on my blackberry for notes and sipped coffee while I cooked. Oh how I wish I could cook in a tropical outdoor kitchen everyday.

Last week I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where I had a wonderful experience learning how to cook authentic Thai food at the Chiang Mai Cookery School. In this three part blog series, I am going to show you the pictures of the food I cooked and the recipes and techniques I learned during the cooking demonstrations.

In the first of this three part blog series, I am going to show you how to make a delicious steamed banana cake, or Khanom Kluay in Thai. This recipe is easy but the end result is an exotic, sophisticated and flavorful dessert that, I must say, is pretty hard to beat. Serve it up at your next party or bring it to your summer potluck for the extra feel of the tropics.

Ingredients:
10 small bananas (or 5 large bananas)- Mashed with a potato masher.
1 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
3 cups grated fresh coconut. (This can be substituted with dried dessicated coconut if fresh coconut is not available. When using dessicated coconut, rehydrate in water for 10 mins prior to using.)

Method:
Put the mashed bananas into a bowl along with the rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, salt and coconut milk with 3/4 of the grated fresh coconut pulp.

Mix well until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

In class, we mixed the ingredients together using our gloved hands.

Put the mixture into the pre-made banana leaf boats or use a small baking mold if you cannot find banana leaves in the frozen section of your supermarket. The banana leaf adds another layer of complexity to the flavor.

Sprinkle the rest of the coconut mixture on the top.

Steam for 30 minutes. If you do not have a large enough steamer, you can bake the cakes in the oven at 360 F for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, check of done-ness and remove if the cake feels firm. If not, continue steaming for another 5-10 minutes. Serve warm!

*For a sweeter cake, use over-ripened bananas. They contain more glucose sugar.

In the meantime, here are some beautiful images I took from my travels to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Enjoy!