[Thailand Recipes] Sankaya (Pumpkin Custard)

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year. I love the festivities, all of the delicious home-cooked food, the lounging around the house interrupted by wonderfully-long walks outside… It’s also one of the few times a year that you can indulge in all kinds of pumpkin desserts without thinking twice. I can’t get enough of them — pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins — there’s just something about pumpkin that makes me really happy. The boyfriend, however, wouldn’t feel deprived in life if he never ate pumpkin again.

So I knew I was taking a risk when I made this Thai pumpkin custard. But I was hoping that because it was Thai, he would be more willing to taste and appreciate the pumpkin than he would otherwise…

In Thailand, a pumpkin that’s commonly used in cooking is the kabocha squash. It has a hard green outer shell that can be challenging to cut through, but once you do, you’re rewarded with a smooth, delicate orange flesh. Kabocha squashes come in various sizes, but I’ve found for this recipe, the smaller ones are better. The pumpkins pictured above are about 14″ in circumference and can fit in my hands.

The recipe for this pumpkin custard is quite easy. You simply mix your palm sugar shavings with coconut milk, eggs, salt, and vanilla to make the custard. Then you cut the top off of the kabocha squash, pour the custard mixture inside, and steam the entire pumpkin filled with custard. When it’s done, the custard will have set inside the pumpkin and the pumpkin itself will be perfectly cooked. Really neat, huh?

I cut the whole pumpkin into 6 generous slices and served it while it was still somewhat warm. With each bite, you get a taste of pumpkin alongside the wonderful coconut custard. It’s almost like a pumpkin pie, deconstructed. I loved my portion and would make this dessert again in a heartbeat! I think the boyfriend, however, still needs some convincing on the pumpkin front…

Thai Pumpkin Custard | Sankaya | สังขยาฟักทอง

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

One small (~14" circumference) kabocha squash
4 eggs
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup palm sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash your pumpkin thoroughly. Cut a circular opening in the top. It may help to use a glass or small bowl to mark the circle and then use a very sharp knife to cut it out. Scoop out all of the pumpkin insides and rinse to ensure it's clean and smooth inside.

Mix the palm sugar, coconut milk, salt, and vanilla extract over medium heat until the palm sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and cool back to room temperature.

Add your eggs to the the coconut milk mixture and mix well to form the custard.

Pour the custard into your hollowed out pumpkin, just to the bottom of the circular opening. Place in a steamer and let steam for 45 minutes untouched. Once it's done, allow to cool a bit before touching. Slice into individual pieces and enjoy!

**If you have additional custard left over (and I usually do), pour into a shallow dish, top with slices of pumpkin, and steam alongside the whole pumpkin custard. Once it's done, slice into 1"x2" pieces for a little bit of a different pumpkin custard dessert. It's more custard-y and less pumpkin-y, but also absolutely delicious!

This recipe and image sources are reffered in website: Rachelcooksthai.com. Thanks so much!