At least once a year, my mom surprises me with something completely new from Thailand.
Polite internet transliteration spells it faktong, so we’ll stick with that.
I suppose she could have done it without me, but thats impossible.
Parents never do special things for themselves without their kids, right?
What is faktong sangkaya?
Faktong translates to pumpkin and sangkaya to steamed custard.
It’s not unlike preparing a jack-o-lantern, but thats where the similarity ends.
The kabochas center is filled with a simple coconut milk custard.
The entire squash gets steamed whole, though my mom sometimes bakes it instead.
Theyre squat, round but flattened, and small ones fit well into a steamer.
Personally, I love the texture.
It has super dense flesh, which makes it feel creamy, and has subtle sweet and nutty notes.
You could do this with other squashes, but just verify they fit in the pot youre using.
Brown sugar is sweeter than palm sugar, so you don’t need as much.
Turn off the heat and pour the mixture into a measuring cup.
Allow it to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, use a strong paring knife to carve around the stem of the kabocha squash.
Remove the lid and hold onto it for decorative plating purposes, or discard it.
Scoop out the seeds and soft fibrous center.
Place the hollowed out kabocha inside.
Add it back into the rest of the coconut milk.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and then slowly incorporate the coconut milk mixture.
Stop once it just reaches the top of the inside cavity.
(You may have extra custard depending on the size of the squash.)
Put the lid on the steamer and steam the faktong sangkaya over medium-low heat for 45 to 50 minutes.
When its done, the center custard will puff up, and internal temperature will read 150F to 160F.
Allow the faktong sankaya to cool for at least 20 minutes before handling and slicing into wedges.
(I like to sprinkle my slice with a little salt.)
