Kanom Chan, Thai dessert, Thailand

Sumaboutthailand
5 min readOct 1, 2021

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Kanom Chan (Steamed Layer Cake) is a classic Thai dish that has been a part of Thai culture since the Sukhothai period. The original layered dessert has a layered pattern of light white layer cakes and is green from the hue of pandan leaves. It has a lovely shape and a delectable taste and aroma of pandan leaves to whet your appetite. It is frequently used by Thais on many important occasions. It doesn’t matter if it’s a wedding ceremony, a blessing ritual for a new home, or daily offerings for the monks. It is also a favorite Thai dessert that Thais can enjoy at every celebration because it is simple to prepare and can be purchased almost anywhere.

Kanom Chan, Thai dessert, Thailand

Background information on Kanom Chan

Kanom Chan can be found in a number of Southeast Asian nations, including Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In Malaysia, Kanom Chan is Kueh Lapis, which is a Chinese treat made from rice flour, tapioca flour, and rice flour, such as cakes, egg buns, and so on. This delicacy is popular in Malaysia and Singapore during the Chinese New Year and Hari Raya. Malaysia received this dessert tradition from Indonesia, which was inspired by the Dutch, who ruled Indonesia at the time. The dish was steamed instead than baked, as this is a more popular cooking method in the country. As a result, the layer cake is known as “Steamed layer cake” in English.

Kanom Chan, Thai dessert, Thailand

Lapis Legit, or Spiku, is a Dutch-influenced delicacy popular in Indonesia. It’s a popular Indonesian delicacy with a Dutch name of “Spekkoek.” Because Koek means cake and Spek means pig belly, the name could have been understood as a layered face resembling pork belly or bacon. This snack is thought to be the first of its kind to come from Germany. We can see that there is a German delicacy called Baumkuchen that appears similar to Spekkoek, but it does not have a chocolate coating. A traditional dessert with a lot of spice is lapis legit. However, for those who are allergic to strong spices, other options are now available. As a result, the recipe can be tweaked to include vanilla, pandan, chocolate, raisins, and prunes in place of spice, or chocolate powder, vanilla essence, pandan flavor, or chopped dried fruit.

Kanom Chan, Thai dessert, Thailand

In Thailand, Kanom Chan was obvious evidence when it arrived, but the Dutch dominated Indonesia from 1800 to 1942, roughly throughout the reigns of Rama 1 and Rama VIII of Thailand, demonstrating that this dessert did not exist during the Ayutthaya period or Krung Thon Buri. Kanom Chan is a type of pastry that can be classed as semi-dry, semi-wet, or non-hard. Because Kanom Chan denotes hierarchy, it was once often used to honor festivals. As a result, Thai people used to make Kanom Chan with up to nine layers because they believed that the number “9” (Kao in Thai signifies prosperity) would allow them to “advance” in their job obligations. In terms of Siam’s historical documentation, which cites the oldest sweets discovered, the gourmet cooks’ cookbook from King Rama V’s era revealed that the Siamese were already familiar with Kanom Chan during his reign. Furthermore, Phraya Anuman Ratchathon “Sathian Koset” (14 December 1888–12 July 1969, 5th Land of Rama V — Rama 9) claimed that Kanom Chan was still included in a set of wedding ceremony delicacies (Khan Mak ceremony).

Kanom Chan, Thai dessert, Thailand

Kanom Chan’s main ingredients

-4 cups coconut milk

-2 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

-1 1/2 cups of mung bean flour

-1/2 cup concentrated pandan juice

-1/2 cup rice flour

-1/2 cup tapioca starch

-1/2 cup jasmine artificial flavoring mixed with water

-Bakedware with a rectangular shape, such as a rectangular baking pan or a rectangular baking pan (size 10×10 inches or 8×8 inches)

Kanom Chan, Thai dessert, Thailand

How to cook Kanom Chan

-In a pot, combine the sugar and coconut milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves (no need to wait for boiling). Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool. For around 15 minutes, steam the tray or type in a steamer set with boiling water.

-Combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, and mung bean flour in a mixing bowl, then slowly pour in the coconut milk mixture. Knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and uniform. Knead the dough for about 15 minutes, or until it does not clump. Then strain it through a sieve.

-Divide the flour into two cups, one containing pandan juice and the other containing jasmine juice. Prepare by mixing everything together.

Kanom Chan, Thai dessert, Thailand

-Pour the white mixture into the first layer. (Pour about 1/3 cup of the mixture into each layer) into the mold, cover the lid, steam for 5 minutes, open the lid, pour the green mixture into the pan, close the lid, steam for 5 minutes, repeat. Alternate layers until all of the dough has been used up, perhaps 9–10 layers total, with the final layer steaming for around 7 minutes before being removed from the steamer. Allow it to cool completely before serving (about 3 hours).

-Take Kanom Chan out of the tray. In a bowl of boiling water, soak the knife. Cut the Kanom Chan into pieces with your hands, arrange them on a platter, and serve.

Kanom Chan, Thai dessert, Thailand
Kanom Chan, Thai dessert, Thailand

Kanom Chan nutrition

Nutrition information, calories, energy and nutrients. 100g layered snack contains 99 kcal, 0.9 g protein, 19.7 g carbohydrate, 2.1 g fat.

In addition, the following information on this : TRAVEL TO THAILAND

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