Num E
(Sticky Rice Balls in Sugar Syrup and Coconut Cream)
Num E is sticky rice flour dough that is kneaded until smooth, rolled into small balls, and boiled until they float. They’re served in a fragrant syrup of coconut cream, brown sugar, and ginger—comforting, aromatic, and lightly sweet. This NHUM version creates colorful balls using pandan and beetroot, with shredded coconut and longan for contrast.
From my cookbook NHUM - Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen.
METHOD
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Serves: 6–8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Key flavors: coconut, pandan, ginger, brown sugar
Texture: soft, chewy rice balls in warm coconut syrup -
700 g sticky rice flour
7 pandan leaves
¼ beetroot
100 g pumpkin
100 g taro
100 g longan (peeled, seeds removed)
200 g shredded coconut meat
3 liters fresh water
½ tsp salt
5 slices ginger
3 cups coconut cream
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Place coconut cream in a small pot over low heat. Cut 3 pandan leaves into large strips and add to the pot with brown sugar, salt, and ginger. Bring to a boil, then cook 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the pandan leaves, and let cool.
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Chop the remaining 4 pandan leaves, blend with ¼ cup water until very green, then strain well. In a bowl, place 200 g sticky rice flour, add a little pandan liquid, and knead until smooth.
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Peel and chop beetroot, blend with ¼ cup water until red, then strain well. In a bowl, place 200 g sticky rice flour, add a little beetroot liquid, and knead until smooth.
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Bring 3 liters of water to a boil in a medium–large pot. Divide each dough into small pieces, roll into balls about ⅓ the size of a ping pong ball, then drop into boiling water. When they float, remove and place them into fresh, icy water to keep them separate.
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Drain well, then place the mixed colored balls into the cooled coconut sugar syrup and stir. Serve in small bowls (add longan and shredded coconut as desired).
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Add the coloring liquids gradually—each flour absorbs differently. You want a dough that’s smooth and pliable, not sticky.
The recipe is in my cookbook "NHUM.”
