Nom Krok

Nom krok is a small coconut-milk rice cake, baked in a cast-iron mould and sold as a street snack in Cambodia. It is made from rice flour, coconut milk and palm sugar, and it sets into a firm, golden base with a soft centre. The same cake is made in Thailand, where it is called khanom krok.

What it really is

Rice flour is mixed with coconut milk, palm sugar and a pinch of salt into a smooth, thin batter. The batter is poured into the round cups of a greased cast-iron mould and cooked over heat until the base is crisp and golden and the top has set. Recipes vary in the balance of sugar and coconut, so one stall's cakes can be noticeably sweeter or richer than another's.

Nom krok contains no wheat. Rice flour has no gluten, so the cakes suit guests avoiding gluten, provided the kitchen keeps them apart from wheat-based snacks.

How it's served

• Warm, straight from the mould, with several cakes to a portion.
• Sold as a street snack, eaten on the spot or taken away.
• Some stalls top the cakes with spring onion or sweet corn, which changes both the flavour and the menu description.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it "Nom krok, Cambodian coconut rice cakes" and state how many pieces make up a serving.
• Name the main ingredients: rice flour and coconut milk, sweetened with palm sugar.
• The classic recipe has no declarable allergen. Coconut is not on the standard allergen list, but say so if guests ask about nut allergies.
• List any topping, such as sweet corn or spring onion, as a separate item, and state whether wheat flour is ever used in the batter.
• Write "served warm" so guests know the cakes are freshly cooked.