Num Krok: An Ugly Cake

Num krok is a popular street snack in Cambodia. It is a coconut and green onion cake. The cake is served with a Khmer fish-sauce dressing and a dose of coconut cream. There’s a lot of coconut in this cake. But first, a brief Khmer lesson:

Num = cake, and after the French arrived in the mid-19^th century, it also refers to any western treat that is made with flour. i.e., num pang is bread.

Krok = homely or drab, and it refers to the ugly appearance of the cake’s top. To hide that ugliness, two cakes are joined together face to face into a ball shape.

Num krok is cooked in a special terracotta clay pan. The pan has half-spherical molds. Amazon carries a cast iron version. I use a takoyaki pan because that’s what I have. You can also use poffertjes pan if that is what you have at hand. Remember, you’ll get a slight difference in texture when you use a cast iron pan than if you use a terracotta clay pan.

Batter

2 cups rice flour
2 cups glutinous rice flour
5 cups coconut milk
⅔ cup water
1 cup cooked rice (I used leftover rice)
1 cup sliced green onion, green part only
Enough lard to brush the pan

Fish-sauce dressing

½ cup fish sauce
½ cup sugar
½ cup lemon juice
⅔ cup coconut water
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped galangal (optional)
1 chopped bird-eye chili (optional)
⅔ cup coconut cream

Dressing: In a jar or bowl, mix fish sauce, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, galangal (if using) and chili (if using) together until the sugar is dissolved. Add coconut water. Mix, taste and adjust accordingly. Leave it aside for a few hours. Strain the dressing. You only need the liquid. You can throw away the solid.

Batter: In a food processor, add water and rice and process until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, add rice flour, glutinous rice flour and coconut milk and mix until smooth. Add in the rice/water mixture and green onion and mix until no clumps remain.

Heat the pan over medium low heat. When it’s hot, brush each mold with lard. Pour the batter to fill the molds. Let the cakes cook until the tops are almost firm and the outside are crispy and slightly brown. Carefully with a spoon, flip one on top of another to make a ball. Let each ball cook a minute more. Make sure to rotate each side of the ball once. When they are done, take the cakes out with a spoon. Brush the molds with lard and continue with the rest of the batter. Keep brushing the molds before you pour in the batter.

To serve: Place several cakes in a small bowl, add some dressing and top them with a teaspoon or two of coconut cream. Mix and enjoy. It’s best to serve them warm.

Note: if you don’t quite like the strong coconut taste, you can cut down the amount of

coconut milk in the batter. Just replace it with water instead.