Coconut Pancakes

Kanom Babin

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Serves 2 Cooks in 30 minutes Difficulty Easy

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My Coconut Pancakes, or Kanom Babin, have quickly become one of the standout moments of my Thai cooking classes at Riverside Thai Cooking in Khao Lak. These bite-sized treats pair chewy glutinous rice flour with sweet coconut milk and palm sugar, then get studded with young coconut, taro or sweet potato, and a touch of sweetcorn — combinations that feel distinctly Thai rather than anything you’d find in a Western-style pancake or dessert, which is exactly what makes them worth trying.

While my written recipe calls for metal cooking rings to shape the pancakes, you’ll notice in the photos I actually use a traditional Thai pancake pan with multiple built-in wells — a handy specialty tool if you can find one, though the rings work perfectly well as a substitute at home. Cooked low and slow until crisp outside and soft in the middle, these little pancakes make a lovely Thai snack or dessert, and it’s easy to see why they’ve been such a hit with my students.

Ingredients

Method

1. Mix the coconut milk with the palm sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add all flour types, salt and water and mix well. Set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Heat some butter in a frying pan on very low heat. Using metal cooking rings add the mixture equally into six the six rings retaining six tablespoons for later. You may have to do this in two batches. Then add some young coconut, taro and sweetcorn into each ring. Top each pancake with a tablespoon of the remaining mixture.
3. Cook very slowly for around ten minutes. Turn over each pancake and cook for a further 10 minutes. Keep the heat low, the pancakes should be a little crispy on the outside and nice and soft in the middle. Remove from the heat.

To Serve

Serve on a plate as a delicious Thai snack or dessert.

Hope you enjoy Kanom Babin by Apple 🍎 Riverside Thai Cooking in Khao Lak.