Chek Ktis

Khmer dessert of bananas and tapioca pearls boiled in sweetened coconut milk.

Illustration inspired by a dessert stall in a Phnom Penh market.

Dish details
Khmer name	ចេកខ្ទិះ
Other names	Chek ktiss; Cheak k'tih; Banana in coconut milk
Dish types	Dessert
Subjects	Food & Foodways
Related dishes	Sankhya Lapov; Num Plae Ai

Chek Ktis (ចេកខ្ទិះ) is a Khmer dessert of bananas and tapioca pearls boiled in sweetened coconut milk. Chek means banana, and ktis means coconut, both coconut milk and coconut cream. The name is also written chek ktiss, chek k'tiss, chet ktiss and cheak k'tih.

Cultural context

Chek ktis comes from Cambodia. Its main ingredients are banana, coconut milk, tapioca pearls, sugar and sesame seeds. It is a light dessert, close to a sago porridge, served at the end of a Cambodian banquet. SBS Food calls toasted sesame seeds an authentic touch.

The dessert is sold in the evening in places around Cambodia. In Phnom Penh, vendors near Central Market sell it from glass cases of ready-made desserts, as a cool sweet in the tropical heat. In Siem Reap it is often served in Cambodian restaurants and cooking classes. A Phnom Penh cooking class served it as the dessert course of a full meal alongside fish amok and green mango salad. There it was a warm banana dessert made with tapioca, gelatin and coconut milk.

Ingredients and preparation

In one method, the tapioca pearls are rinsed and simmered in water until clear and soft. Sugar, salt, coconut milk and bananas are then added, and the mixture is brought to a boil. The bananas may be halved lengthwise or sliced on an angle about one-third of an inch (about 8 millimeters) thick. The dessert may be finished with dry-roasted split mung beans or with roasted sesame seeds, partly ground.

The Grantourismo recipe cooks tapioca pearls and star anise in boiling water, then adds coconut cream, banana, grated coconut, sugar and salt. The tapioca is stirred all the time so it does not stick and burn, and it cooks until the pearls are fully clear with no white dot at the center. The pudding is topped with white and black sesame seeds, with more grated coconut and coconut cream if wanted.

The SBS Food recipe, credited to Leanne Kitchen and Liep Yong, soaks sago for an hour, then simmers it with water, sugar and a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes until the grains turn clear. Sliced banana cooks in it for three minutes, and coconut milk is stirred in at the end. It is served warm or at room temperature with sesame seeds.

The Phnom Penh Life recipe soaks the tapioca until soft and keeps the cut bananas in lightly salted water. Half the coconut cream goes into the pan with water, the bananas go in once it boils, and the sugar, salt and rest of the coconut cream follow.

History and origins

Grantourismo Travels believes chek ktis is a very old Khmer dessert. Its age is hard to judge because recipes use either sago or tapioca. Sago has been used in Southeast Asia longer than tapioca, but in recent decades the dessert has more often been made with tapioca. Many Cambodian cooks treat the two as interchangeable.

Regional and household variations

Traditional versions use palm sugar and white sesame seeds. Modern versions may use white sugar and add black sesame seeds and star anise. Many Cambodian cooks today use white sugar. In the Grantourismo recipe, the star anise is the writer's own addition to the classic dessert.

Where fresh coconuts are hard to find, cooks use canned coconut milk or cream, dried grated coconut or desiccated coconut.

Preparations and recipes

• Leanne Kitchen and Liep Yong, SBS Food

  Sago simmered in sweetened water, finished with sliced sugar bananas, coconut milk and toasted sesame.

References