This one asks for a steady hand more than any advanced technique. The pleasure is in the thin chewy cakes, the rich coconut sauce poured over them and the crunch of peanuts. The difficulty is spreading the batter on the leaf, since uneven thickness means uneven cooking.
The batter is poured from the stem end and the leaf is tilted so it runs evenly, then the stem itself is pushed through to roll the leaf up. Steaming over rapidly boiling water takes only 4 to 5 minutes.
This batch weighs about 1.2kg, at roughly 210 calories per 100g.
Method
Dark batter: wash 100g la mo leaf, chop it, stir it into 400ml coconut milk, then blend it with 200g rice flour, 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1 teaspoon salt. Add 1 teaspoon cooking oil and rest the batter for 30 minutes.
Green batter: do the same with 100g chopped pandan leaf and 400ml coconut milk.
White batter: blend 400ml coconut milk with 200g rice flour, 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1 teaspoon salt, add 1 teaspoon cooking oil and rest it for 30 minutes.
Cut 100g nipa palm leaf into lengths that fit the pot and scrape the back clean. Wash the nipa palm leaf and 100g jackfruit leaf and drain them.
Spread the white batter over the veined side of a jackfruit leaf, pouring from the stem end and tilting the leaf so it runs evenly, then push the stem through to roll it up. Do the same with the pandan batter. Spread the la mo batter over the back of the nipa palm leaf.
Steam the cakes over rapidly boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes, let them cool and peel them onto a tray.
Make the sauce: warm 300ml coconut milk in a pot, then add 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 teaspoon salt and 6 tablespoons tapioca starch already dissolved in water, and stir until it is smooth and thick.
Pour the coconut sauce over the cakes and scatter over 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanut.
Tips
With a small steamer, work through one kind of leaf at a time rather than crowding them all in together.
Pour from the stem end and tilt the leaf so the batter runs evenly, which gives a thin, smooth surface.
Strain the blended la mo leaves to take out the fibers, since any left behind pit the surface rather than leaving it smooth.
The batter needs its full 30 minutes of rest, since spreading it straight away lets it slide off the leaf.
The water must be at a rolling boil before the cakes go in, because lukewarm water leaves the surface wet.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.