Thai Rice Balls in Coconut Milk (Bua Loi)
Bua loi is a Thai dessert of chewy glutinous rice balls served in warm, sweet coconut cream. The dough is colored and scented with pandan, which gives the little balls a grassy, vanilla-like fragrance. Boiling them until they float is the only cue you need for doneness. Stirring the cream while it heats keeps it smooth, and a poached egg in each bowl is a traditional touch.
Instructions
Stir the pandan essence into some water, then mix this with the glutinous rice flour, adding just enough liquid to make a stiff paste. Knead the paste well until it is smooth.
Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them into pea-sized balls.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in the rice balls. Lift them out as soon as they float to the surface, then drain them.
In a separate pot, bring half of the coconut cream to a boil, stirring constantly so it does not separate. Add the drained rice balls.
When the mixture comes back to a boil, take the pot off the heat and stir in the rest of the coconut cream.
If you want to serve the dessert with eggs, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and then lower the heat. Crack the eggs into the water one at a time, and remove each one when it is cooked.
Ladle the rice balls and coconut cream into small bowls and add one egg to each bowl. Sweet corn kernels are a common Thai addition on top.
Make it personal.
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