Thai pumpkin bua loy — a cute Halloween dessert in coconut milk

These are bua loy, a Thai dessert made with soft chewy rice-flour dumplings served in sweet coconut milk.

For this version, I used pumpkin and shaped the dumplings into tiny pumpkins, so they felt perfect for fall and Halloween. The coconut milk makes the whole dessert creamy and comforting without being too heavy.

Would you serve these for Halloween, or are they too cute to eat? 😄

https://preview.redd.it/lyv6102qy0vh1.png?width=451&format=png&auto=webp&s=fc836bc679570518288c3d084bdace76822ed3da

Bua Loy – Thai Coconut Milk Dessert

Ingredients:

250 g pumpkin puree

170 g glutinous rice flour

30 g tapioca flour

¼ tsp salt

Coconut milk sauce:

200 ml coconut milk

300 ml water

85 g sugar

¼ tsp salt

2 pcs pandan leaves

Instructions:

Steam pumpkin until fork-tender, then mash/puree with a fork. In a bowl, combine pumpkin puree, glutinous rice flour, tapioca flour, and a pinch of salt. Knead by hand until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. If sticky, add a touch more glutinous rice flour; if dry, add 1–2 tsp water. Pinch off a small piece of dough and tint it green for stems. Roll the yellow dough into small balls. Use the edge of a spatula (or toothpick) to press light grooves so they resemble mini pumpkins.

Cook the coconut milk sauce. Finish the pumpkin shapes by lightly pressing grooves and adding a tiny bit of green dough as the stem. In a saucepan, add coconut milk, water, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir well. Heat on low to medium-low until it gently simmers; do not boil (to prevent splitting). Keep warm.

Optional: Add a knotted pandan leaf for extra aroma, remove before serving.

Cook the pumpkin “balls” & sago; assemble. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the shaped pumpkin pieces. Stir once to prevent sticking. Cook until they float, then give them 1–2 more minutes for a fully cooked, bouncy center. In a separate pot, boil water and cook the sago pearls until mostly translucent with a tiny white dot. Drain, rinse under cold water, and soak in cold water to keep them separate. If you want colored pearls, toss the drained pearls with a drop of coloring or pandan water.

To serve, place pumpkin “mini pumpkins” in a bowl, add some sago pearls, and ladle over the warm coconut milk sauce. Serve warm or chill everything and serve cold.

For more detailed recipe and tips, here is the link: Thai Coconut Milk Dessert.