Sangkaya Fak Thong

Pick a squat kabocha pumpkin with a flat base, and check that it fits, sitting on a shallow heatproof dish, inside a large steamer or a wok with a domed lid and a rack. Scrub it under running water and pat it dry.

Using a small, sturdy knife, cut a lid about 10 cm across around the stem of the pumpkin, angling the blade towards the centre so the lid is cone-shaped and cannot fall in. The skin is hard: push the tip in and work round in short sawing strokes rather than forcing it. Lift off the lid.

Scrape the seeds and stringy fibres out of the pumpkin and off the underside of the lid with a metal spoon until the cavity is smooth. Wipe it dry with kitchen paper so the custard clings to the flesh.

If the palm sugar is a hard block, grate it or chop it finely. Put the palm sugar in a large bowl and crack in the eggs. Tear the pandan leaves into short lengths, scrunch them up and knead them into the eggs and sugar with one hand, squeezing hard, for about 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture smells of pandan.

Squeeze the pandan leaves out over the bowl and discard them. Gently stir in the coconut cream and a pinch of salt with a spoon rather than a whisk, since beaten-in air leaves holes in the set custard. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a jug.

Bring 5 cm of water to the boil in the steamer and stand the pumpkin, on its dish, on the rack. Pour the custard into the pumpkin up to 1 cm below the rim. Any that does not fit can go into a small heatproof bowl beside it; lift that out once set, after about 20 minutes.

Put the pumpkin lid on the rack beside the pumpkin. Wrap the steamer lid in a clean tea towel, tying the corners up over the handle and well clear of any flame, so condensation drips into the cloth instead of onto the custard. Cover and steam over medium heat for 45 to 60 minutes, topping up with boiling water if the level drops. Lift out the pumpkin lid once a skewer slides into it easily, after about 25 minutes.

Test the custard: it should have puffed slightly, and a skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean, while one pushed into the side of the pumpkin meets no resistance. If the centre is still liquid, steam for 10 more minutes and test again.

Turn off the heat, uncover and leave the pumpkin in the steamer for 15 minutes, so the custard firms a little before it is moved. Lift it out on its dish and leave it to cool completely at room temperature, at least 3 hours. If you cut it while it is still warm, the custard is soft and pulls away from the flesh.

Set the pumpkin lid back on top to present it whole. To serve, cut the pumpkin into 6 wedges with a large sharp knife, slicing straight down through the custard and flesh and wiping the blade between cuts.