Sweet mung bean dumplings (khanom tua paep)

A Thai sweet made for special occasions and religious ceremonies, khanom tua paep can also be eaten for breakfast or as a morning snack.

Credit: Alana Dimou

• serves

  2

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  55 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 50 g (1¾ oz) yellow mung beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 50 g (1¾ oz) fresh or dried unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Pastry

• 65 g (2¼ oz) white glutinous rice flour
• 32 g (1¼ oz) black glutinous rice flour
• 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) Perfumed water (see Note)

This recipe needs to be started 1 day in advance to prepare the perfumed water.

Instructions

1. Fill a saucepan with water, place a bamboo steamer on top and bring to the boil over medium heat. Place the mung beans in the steamer and steam for 40 minutes, then add the shredded coconut and steam for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer the mung beans and shredded coconut to separate bowls and set aside to cool.
2. In a small frying pan over medium heat, dry-fry the sesame seeds until golden brown and fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl and combine with the caster sugar and salt. Set aside.
3. To make the pastry, sift the flours into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Sprinkle with the perfumed water and gently knead to form a soft, smooth dough. Pinch off pieces of the dough and shape into balls approximately 2 cm (¾ in) in diameter.
4. On a clean work surface, roll the dough out into discs approximately 5 mm (¼ in) thick and 4 cm (1½ in) in diameter. Place 2 teaspoons of the mung beans in the centre of a disc and wrap the dough around the filling, pinching the edges together to seal so that you have a roughly oval package. Set aside on a plate or tray and repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.
5. Fill a large bowl with water and bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over medium heat. Carefully add the dumplings to the boiling water and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until the dumplings float to the surface. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked dumplings from the saucepan and transfer to the bowl of water to prevent them from sticking together.
6. To serve, sprinkle the dumplings with the sesame seed mixture and the shredded coconut.

Note

• To make perfumed water, fill a bowl with 1 litre water and scatter the water's surface with 1 handful of unsprayed, unopened jasmine flowers. Cover and leave overnight on the bench until the flowers bloom, infusing the water with jasmine aroma.

Recipe and images from Bangkok Local by Sareen Rojanametin and Jean Thamthanakorn, Smith Street Books, RRP $39.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.