Excerpted from Hot Thai Kitchen: The 10th Anniversary Edition by Pailin Chongchitnant. Copyright © 2026 Pailin Chongchitnant. Cover and photography on pages x, 240–276 by Janis Nicolay. Recipe photos and portraits of the author by David Tam. Thailand photos by Art Chongchitnant. Photo on page 53 by Stephen Fortner. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
| Portions | Cook Time |
|---|---|
| 20 small cups | 1 hour |
Ingredients
Tapioca Pudding:
- 2 pandan leaves (36 inches/90 cm total)
- 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) water
- 1/2 cup (85 g) small tapioca pearls
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (55 g) corn kernels, cooked
Creamy Coconut Frosting:
- 1/4 cup (30 g) rice flour
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) coconut milk
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp table salt
Optional for Serving:
- Small, edible flowers
- Crispy Mung Beans
Directions
- Make pandan juice by cutting the leaves into small chunks and blending in a blender with 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the water until there are no more chunks, but do not over-blend as it may be bitter. Strain the juice through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing out as much liquid as possible; discard the fibres.
- In a medium pot, bring the remaining 2 cups (500 ml) of water to a full boil over high heat. Add the tapioca pearls and stir constantly with a rubber spatula until the water comes back to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, scraping the bottom constantly, for about 18 minutes until the mixture is very thick and sticky. If it has become very thick before 15 minutes, add an extra 1–2 Tbsp (15–30 ml) of water, and keep cooking until thick. The mixture should be thick enough that you can momentarily see the bottom of the pot when stirring.
- Stir in the sugar and pandan juice, then turn the heat up to medium-high to bring the mixture back to a boil. Keep stirring for another 8–10 minutes. The tapioca is ready when the mixture is very thick once again, and the white dots in the middle of the pearls are very small, but still visible.
- Stir in the corn, then immediately spoon into the prepared cups to about half-full. The heat of the pudding will activate the banana leaves’ aroma.