Sangkhaya Fak Thong (Thai Coconut Custard Steamed in a Whole Squash)
A small kabocha hollowed out, filled with coconut cream, palm sugar and egg custard scented with pandan, steamed until set, chilled and cut into wedges that show a yellow custard heart in an orange shell.
Thailand's pumpkin custard needs no crust because the squash is the dish. Fah Thai, Bangkok Airways' in-flight magazine, explains that sangkhaya (custard) is a beloved treat across Southeast Asia, served in Thailand with sticky rice or steamed inside a pumpkin, sometimes scented with pandan leaves (Sarita Urupongsa:). Eggs in Thai sweets are often credited to the Portuguese: National Geographic writes that before Portuguese contact (from 1511), Thai desserts were mostly rice flour, palm sugar and coconut, and that Maria Guyomar de Pinha, of Portuguese and Japanese descent, popularized egg-based sweets at the 17th-century court of King Narai (Arundhati Hazra, April 3, 2025:). Whether sangkhaya itself descends from those Portuguese sweets is DISPUTED (see Rules).
Why it works the kitchen science
Gentle steam, not a hard boil
Rachel Cooks Thai says a split custard means the heat was too high; steady medium steam sets the eggs slowly so the custard stays smooth and doesn't pull away from the squash.
Cool before slicing
The custard and squash firm as they cool, so the wedges cut cleanly instead of the custard sliding out of the shell.
Step by step
- Step 1
Scrub the squash. Cut a lid around the stem at a slant, about 4 inches across, and lift it off. Scrape out the seeds and strings with a spoon and pat the inside dry with paper towels.
- Step 2
Warm the coconut cream, palm sugar, salt and pandan leaves in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes, just until the sugar dissolves. Take off the heat, remove the pandan and let it cool 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Whisk the eggs in a bowl just to blend, without beating in air. Whisk in the cooled coconut mixture, then strain it twice through a fine strainer.
- Step 4
Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a steamer, then lower to medium so it steams steadily but not violently. Set the squash upright on a heatproof plate in the steamer and pour in the custard to about 1/2 inch below the rim. Set the lid piece beside it.
- Step 5
Cover and steam 45 to 60 minutes without lifting the lid for the first 40 minutes, adding boiling water to the pot if it runs low, until a knife in the center of the custard comes out clean, the custard reads at least 160°F, and a skewer slides easily through the squash wall.
- Step 6
Lift the plate out, cool the squash to room temperature, about 1 hour, then refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into wedges with a sharp knife and serve cold. Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days (our guideline).
Sangkhaya Fak Thong (Thai Coconut Custard Steamed in a Whole Squash)
Serves 6 · 1 filled squash · 1 hr 20 min total
Squash
- 1 small kabocha squash (about 2 lb, small enough to fit in your steamer with the lid on)
Custard
- 5 large eggs (duck eggs are common in Thailand)
- 1/3 cup packed palm sugar, chopped (or light brown sugar)
- 1 cup coconut cream (the thick top of canned coconut milk works)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 pandan leaves, knotted (optional)
Method
- Scrub the squash. Cut a lid around the stem at a slant, about 4 inches across, and lift it off. Scrape out the seeds and strings with a spoon and pat the inside dry with paper towels.
- Warm the coconut cream, palm sugar, salt and pandan leaves in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes, just until the sugar dissolves. Take off the heat, remove the pandan and let it cool 10 minutes.
- Whisk the eggs in a bowl just to blend, without beating in air. Whisk in the cooled coconut mixture, then strain it twice through a fine strainer.
- Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a steamer, then lower to medium so it steams steadily but not violently. Set the squash upright on a heatproof plate in the steamer and pour in the custard to about 1/2 inch below the rim. Set the lid piece beside it.
- Cover and steam 45 to 60 minutes without lifting the lid for the first 40 minutes, adding boiling water to the pot if it runs low, until a knife in the center of the custard comes out clean, the custard reads at least 160°F, and a skewer slides easily through the squash wall.
- Lift the plate out, cool the squash to room temperature, about 1 hour, then refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into wedges with a sharp knife and serve cold. Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days (our guideline).
Adapted from the Asia Society's "Thai Custard in Pumpkin (Sangkhaya Fakthong)", credited to Team Thailand (2004), 4 servings. The page refused our direct requests (402 and 403); its amounts (one small pumpkin, 5 eggs, 1/3 cup palm sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 cup coconut cream) and its "about 20 minutes" steaming time come from search results quoting it. A whole squash needs far longer, so our steaming time follows Fah Thai (about an hour) and Rachel Cooks Thai (45 minutes, steamed undisturbed:). The pandan and the twice-straining step are from Fah Thai. The 160°F check is from USDA FSIS's egg row. Serving count of 6 is ours. This is the thinnest-sourced recipe in the file (see What we could not source). Asia Society. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Choose a squash that sits flat; trim a thin slice off the bottom if it wobbles, without cutting through.
- Some Thai versions add a spoonful of rice flour to the custard for a firmer set (Hot Thai Kitchen, seen only in a search summary:).
- Steam the lid piece next to the squash and set it back on for serving.
- No pandan? Rachel Cooks Thai uses vanilla.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Sangkhaya comes from Portuguese egg sweets. Disputed: National Geographic documents the Portuguese role in Thai egg desserts and credits Maria Guyomar de Pinha with the golden thong desserts, but does not name sangkhaya; popular food sites add sangkhaya to her list without evidence.
- Steam 20 minutes. Disputed: Asia Society's recipe says about 20 minutes (search summary); Fah Thai says about an hour and Rachel Cooks Thai 45 minutes for a whole squash. Use the knife and thermometer, not the clock.
- Use duck eggs. Folklore for home cooks: common in Thailand, but chicken eggs work (Rachel Cooks Thai).
- The squash must be kabocha. Folklore: kabocha is the usual choice outside Thailand because its flesh holds together when sliced; any small dense squash works.
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