Thai cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Thong Ek

Dense little cakes of egg yolk, flour and coconut milk, star-stamped and topped with gold leaf.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 10 egg yolks
• 250 ml coconut milk
• 200 g sugar
• 120 g flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tbsp wheat starch
• 2 sheets edible gold leaf
• 1 tbsp oil for the mold

Instructions

1. Warm the coconut milk with sugar and salt in a pot over medium heat for 5 min. until the sugar is fully dissolved, then let cool completely.
2. Pass the egg yolks through a fine sieve and stir with the cold coconut milk, without whipping up foam.
3. Sift the flour and wheat starch over the top and stir smooth, then pass the mixture through a sieve again so no lumps remain.
4. Cook the mixture in a nonstick pan over low heat for 12–15 min., stirring constantly, until it is firm enough that a line drawn through the bottom briefly holds its shape.
5. Press the still-warm mixture into an oiled, star-shaped mold about 4 cm across, carefully unmold and arrange 20 little cakes side by side on a tray; dry in the oven at 150°C fan for 12 min. until the surface is silky and glossy.
6. Once cooled, dab the center of each cake with a moist brush, place a tiny piece of gold leaf on top and serve on a flat platter.