A steamed dessert of two layers: a firm, slightly salty coconut cream base and a softer, sweeter coconut cream top — steamed in small porcelain or ceramic cups (thuay). The two-layer structure is achieved by making two batches of coconut cream of different sweetness and thickness and steaming them sequentially. The contrast between the slightly salty, firm base layer and the sweet, soft top layer is the preparation's defining character — the salt in the base layer amplifying the sweetness of the top, and the textural contrast between firm and soft providing the structural interest.
**The base layer (sweet and slightly salty, firmer):** - Thick coconut cream: 200ml. - Rice flour: 3 tablespoons (provides the stiffness of the base layer). - Palm sugar: dissolved, a moderate quantity. - Salt: a definite pinch — more than in other coconut desserts. - Mix, pour into the cups to 2/3 full. - Steam for 8–10 minutes until set. **The top layer (sweeter, softer):** - Thick coconut cream: 200ml. - Rice flour: 1 tablespoon (less than the base — producing the softer texture). - Palm sugar: dissolved, a higher quantity than the base layer. - No added salt. - Pour over the set base layer. - Steam for a further 5 minutes. **The set test:** Insert a thin skewer into the centre of the top layer: it should emerge clean (no wet cream). The top layer should have a very slight jiggle when the cup is gently shaken — just-set rather than firm. **Pandan addition:** A single pandan leaf tied in a knot and added to each cup before steaming perfumes the custard with 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (Entry TH-57) — the standard aromatic addition for khanom thuay. Decisive moment: The texture of each layer: the base must be fully set before the top layer is poured, or the two layers merge and the textural contrast is lost. Test the base layer firmness at 8 minutes — it should feel set throughout when the cup is gently shaken (no liquid movement).
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)