On weekends, I like to go to shopping and look for new things to use in my recipes. I found the bananas leaves in the frozen section of my local supermarket and it reminded me of a dessert made with banana leaves known as Khao Tom Mat (also called Khao Tom Mat is a native Thai dessert. Thai people usually make it to give to monks during a festival called Tuk Bath Tae Wo.My Mom always makes the khao tom Mat at the beginning of Buddhist lent (Khao Phansa Day and Ok Phansa Day. It is also given to relatives during the festival. Khao Tom Pad is one of my favorite desserts. The banana leaves used to make Khao Tom Mat are normally held together using bamboo ties. However, they can be difficult to find locally, so I use rubber bands or string to tie the banana leaves together instead of using a bamboo tie. Follow these instructions, and enjoy a delicious treat.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups sticky rice (called sweet rice)
1 cup coconut milk
¾ cup palm sugar
¼ cup dried red beans
¼ cup dried black beans
5 each Asian (small) ripe bananas (sliced in half lengthwise)
½ cup water
3 each pandanus leaves (bai-toey - use only the juice for flavor)
3 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 - 2 pkg. banana leaves (usually comes in 16 oz. packages)

PREPARING THE BANANA LEAVES:

The banana and sticky rice are wrapped in a leaf which then wrapped in another larger leaf which are prepared as follows:

1. Tear the outer banana leaves into strips approximately 7½ inches wide and wipe with a wet paper towel, then cut each leaf into 10 inch lengths).
2. Tear the inner banana leaves into strips approximately 6½ inches wide and wipe with a wet paper towel, then cut each leaf into 8 inch lengths).
3. Round off the end of each banana leaf by cutting each corner into an oval shape.

PREPARATION:

1. Soak the rice in water for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight, then rinse the rice 3 times and set aside.
2. Boil the black and red beans for about 10 minutes, then drain and set aside.
3. Cut the pandanus leaves (bai-toey) into small lengths (about 2 inches), then boil the leaves in about ½ cup of water.
4. Remove and discard the pandanus leaves, then mix the water (used to boil the pandanus leaves) with the coconut milk, salt, and palm sugar.
5. Stir until the mixture dissolves, then add the rice and beans into the mixture.
6. In a medium pan add the rice mixture, using a low heat setting, stir for about 5 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed by the rice, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
7. For each dessert, put an inner banana leaf on top of an outer banana leaf, and then spread a small amount of the rice on the inner banana leaf.
8. Brush the bananas with olive oil and then place a banana slice on the top of the rice. Then cover the banana with some more rice.
9. Fold the bananas leaves and steam for 15 to 20 minutes with a steam cooker or bamboo steamer and cover, and then allow to cool.
10. Place 2 of the folded sets of banana leaves together to make one dessert, and if not served immediately, tie the two together securely for appearance and to maintain the flavor.

Number of servings will vary based upon the size of banana leaves in each package.

Tip #1: The red and black beans can be found on supermarket shelves in packages.
Tip #2: Pandanus leaves can be found in Asian grocery stores.
Tip #3: If you cannot locate banana leaves, the rice mixture can be wrapped in aluminum foil before steaming.
Tip #4: The use of pandanus leaves is optional.
Tip #5: You can use plantains instead of Asian bananas.

A delicious dessert