Pandan Khanom Chan
Yield: 16 servings Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
300 mL (1 ¼ Cup) Canned Coconut Milk
180 g (¾ Cup) Granulated Sugar
112 g (¾ Cup) Tapioca Flour
28 g (3 Tbsp) Rice Flour
4 g (½ tsp) Kosher Salt
112 mL (½ Cup) Pandan Juice (recipe linked!)
1.2 mL (½ tsp) Pandan Extract
32 g (¼ Cup + 1 Tbsp) Tapioca Flour
12 g (1 Tbsp + 1 tsp) Rice Flour
Recipe
Grease a 20x20cm (8x8in) pan and place it in a steamer with the lid on to preheat.
Laila Tip: I use a metal steamer basket for this recipe that fits perfectly in my pot and has a snug lid to trap steam. Unfortunately, the exact one I own is no longer sold, but I found a similar version that works just as well! 👉 Check out the one I recommend here.
In a saucepan, add the coconut milk and sugar. Heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the sugar fully dissolves.
In a bowl, whisk together the tapioca flour, rice flour, and salt. Slowly pour in the warm coconut mixture, whisking continuously until smooth and fully combined.
Divide the batter evenly between two bowls. To one bowl, add the pandan juice, pandan extract, 32g of tapioca flour, and 12g of rice flour. Whisk again until smooth.
It’s traditional for Khanom Chan to have 9 layers — typically 5 pandan and 4 coconut. You can do more or fewer layers, but plan to divide your batter evenly based on the number of layers you want.
Laila’s Tip: I like to weigh out each batter and divide the total by the number of layers I’m planning. That way I can pour the exact same amount for each layer.
For example: I had 430g of pandan batter and 308g of coconut batter. That gave me 86g per pandan layer and 77g per coconut layer.
Remove the steamer lid and pour in your first layer of pandan batter. Steam with the lid on for 5 minutes, or until the surface turns matte and barely jiggles when shaken. If it still looks shiny or wobbly, steam for another 2 minutes at a time until fully cooked.
Laila’s Tip: Wipe the underside of your steamer lid with a towel each time you remove it. This keeps condensation from dripping onto the dessert—or onto your hands!
Laila’s Tip: Is your layer taking way too long to cook? Your steamer might not be hot enough. Make sure steam is actively escaping at all times. I kept my stovetop at medium heat for consistency.
Continue steaming, alternating layers of pandan and coconut batter, until all the layers are done. Once finished, remove the pan from the steamer and let it cool at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Gently pull the khanom chan away from the sides of the pan and pull it out. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into squares or any shape you like.
Serving: Best served the day it is made. The fresher, the better!
Storage: Store in an airtight container with a few drops of water. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week, but the texture will begin to firm up after day one.
Still have some questions about the recipe?
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Happy Baking!
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