Kanom Krok... Grilled Coconut Rice Hot Cakes

I was looking for some different recipes to try with my ebelskiver pan. I came across a recipe for Kanom Krok from a few different sources that said it came from a book called, It Rains Fishes by Kasma Loha-unchit. I thought I would give it a try.

The recipe is as follows:

1 3/4 cups coconut cream and 3 1/2 cups lighter coconut milk
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar
2 1/2 Tbs tapioca starch or arrowroot flour
3 Tbs uncooked white rice
1/3 cup finely shredded fresh coconut or 1/4 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
2 cups rice flour
2 tsp sea salt
2 to 3 Tbs palm oil or peanut oil

Optional filling ingredients:
1/4 cup green onions, cut in thin rounds
1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
2 Tbs cilantro leaves

If using canned coconut milk, spoon into a small saucepan 1 3/4 cup of the creamiest part from the top of three cans of coconut milk. Heat just enough to melt and smooth out the lumps. Add sugar to the coconut cream and stir to dissolve. Cool before mixing in 2 1/2 Tbs of tapioca or arrowroot flour. Stir until smooth. Set aside. This is the coconut cream mixture that goes on top of the hot cakes.

Combine the remaining coconut milk from the cans. If there is less than 3 1/2 cups, add water to make up the difference. Stir until smooth, heating if necessary to melt the coagulated parts. Allow to cool. Grind the uncooked white rice in a clean coffee grinder as finely as possible. Do the same with the shredded coconut. Combine the two with the rice flour, salt, remaining 2Tbs sugar and add to the lighter coconut milk. Stir and mix until well blended and smooth. This is the rice batter.

Heat a well-seasoned kanom krok griddle (or substitute with an Ebelskiver pancake griddle) on the stove. When the griddle is hot, brush the surface indentations with the palm or peanut oil. Wait a few seconds before spooning the rice mixture into each indentation to about two-thirds full. The batter should sizzle when it hits the hot metal. Add a dab of the sweet coconut cream mixture over the top to fill and sprinkle the center of each cake with a little bit of one of the optional toppings, or leave plain. Cover with a round lid and allow to cook for a few minutes, or until the pancakes are firm and crispy brown on the bottom. Remove gently with a rounded spoon. Re-grease the griddle before making the next batch. Because rice flour tends to settle, stir the coconut mixture well before pouring onto the griddle. Serve warm.

Some information that may be helpful when trying this recipe:
This recipe was a little hard to follow. I would read it over to be clear about what to do before starting. Good brands of coconut milk are Chao Koh and Mae Ploy. Chao Koh is more delicate and sweet where Mae Ploy in more rich and creamy. Other brands of coconut milk will change their name by only one letter so be aware of this when selecting the coconut milk. You can find coconut milk at Southeast Asian Markets such as this one. The recipe recommends 3 - 14 oz. cans of coconut milk for the coconut cream and coconut milk. To separate the coconut cream from the coconut milk, the can needs to be settled. There may be an easier way to do this but I found it hard to differentiate the two. I just used a can of Chao Koh coconut cream instead. Tapioca starch and arrowroot powder are the same thing. I used a container with a spout to pour the batter which made things a lot easier. I used Jasmine Rice. I have never had an authentic Kanom Krok so I am not sure how mine would compare. They were time consuming but fun to make. I used these ebelskiver turning tools. They were easier to use than anything else once I got the hang of it. The Hot Cakes weren't as sweet as I thought they would be which was nice. The flavor was subtle. The recipe says to serve them warm but we liked them cold as well. I would definitely make these again.