Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Sankhya Lapov
A whole kabocha pumpkin steamed with a coconut-palm-sugar custard inside, a striking Cambodian dessert.
Cambodian · medium · serves 6
prep 20 min · cook 50 min
~278 cal · 6g protein · 29g carbs · 17g fat · 1g fiber · 28g sugars · 13g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Sankhya lapov is one of Cambodia's most charming desserts, a whole small pumpkin steamed with a sweet coconut custard set inside its hollow. Cut into wedges, it reveals rings of orange pumpkin around a golden custard heart, as beautiful as it is delicious.
A kabocha or Thai pumpkin is hollowed of its seeds and filled with a mixture of eggs, thick , and dark palm sugar. Steamed whole until the custard sets and the pumpkin flesh turns tender, it marries the earthy sweetness of the squash with the rich, caramel-scented custard. Served warm or cool in slices, it is a festive Khmer treat.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and gluten-, dairy- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
1 small kabocha pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup thick
3/4 cup palm sugar
1 pinch salt
Instructions
1
Cut a lid in the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds, leaving the flesh.
2
Whisk the eggs with the coconut cream, palm sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves, without frothing.
✎ Chef’s note
Dissolve the palm sugar fully and do not whisk in air, so the custard sets smooth inside the pumpkin.
3
Pour the custard into the pumpkin cavity, replace the lid, and steam until the custard is set and the pumpkin tender, about 45 minutes.
4
Cool, then cut into wedges to serve.
Cambodian festive tradition.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Siem Reap. Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor, cooks Khmer classics, fish amok steamed in banana leaf, sour soups, and the fermented paste prahok. Tonlé Sap lake fish define Cambodia's temple-town table.
🗺️
Cambodia. Cambodian (Khmer) food is subtler and less fiery than its neighbors, built on the fermented fish paste prahok and the herb-and-spice paste kroeung. Fish amok, sour soups, and fresh river fish reflect life around the Tonlé Sap lake.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cambodia
Fish AmokA silky steamed fish curry-custard in banana-leaf cups, built on pounded lemongrass kroeung and coconut cream.
Bai Sach ChroukThinly sliced grilled coconut-marinated pork over broken rice, with pickles and a clear broth.
Nom Banh ChokRice noodles under a fragrant green fish-and-lemongrass gravy, piled with raw vegetables, Cambodia's Khmer noodles.
Browse all Cambodia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Steamer, Whisk.
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it a Cambodia meal
Beef Lok LakDinner
Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice)Drink
Similar dishes from around the world
Cocada AmarelaAngola
WatalappanSri Lanka
Pudim de Leite (Milk Flan)Cape Verde
Leche AsadaChile
Natilla ColombianaColombia
Cajeta de CocoCosta Rica
Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Sankhya Lapov?
A whole kabocha pumpkin steamed with a coconut-palm-sugar custard inside, a striking Cambodian dessert.
Where does Sankhya Lapov come from?
Sankhya Lapov is a Cambodian dish from Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Can Sankhya Lapov be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Sankhya Lapov recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Sankhya Lapov safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Sankhya Lapov take to make?
About 70 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 50 minutes cooking), serving 6.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.