Bananas in Sweet Coconut Milk (Kluay Buat Chi)
Ripe bananas simmered gently in warm, lightly salted coconut milk until soft and glossy. A simple, comforting Thai dessert that's ready in under half an hour.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Prepare the bananas
Peel the bananas and cut them on the diagonal into bite-size pieces, about 3 cm thick. Soak the pieces in the salted water for 5 minutes — this keeps them from turning brown and firms them slightly before cooking. Drain well.
- 6 ripe bananas
- 500 ml water
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the banana pieces look pale, not browned, and feel slightly firm
Make the light coconut broth
In a medium pot, combine 250 ml of the coconut milk with the extra water, the pandan leaves and the palm sugar. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture smells sweet and fragrant.
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 150 ml water
- 2 pandan leaves
- 70 g palm sugar
✅ Done when: the sugar has dissolved and the broth smells sweet and fragrant
Poach the bananas
Add the drained banana pieces to the pot. Cook at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil, for 5–8 minutes, stirring only once or twice so the pieces don't break apart. They're ready when the edges turn slightly translucent and they're tender but still hold their shape.
- 6 bananas (from step 1)
✅ Done when: the banana pieces are tender when pierced but still hold their shape, with translucent edges
Add the rich coconut milk
Lower the heat and stir in the remaining 150 ml of coconut milk along with the fine salt. Warm through gently for 2–3 minutes without letting it come to a boil — boiling at this point can make the coconut milk curdle and look grainy instead of smooth, at around 80°C (176°F) it should just steam, not bubble hard.
- 150 ml coconut milk (remaining)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
✅ Done when: the sauce looks smooth, creamy and glossy, with no sign of separating
Rest briefly
Turn off the heat, remove and discard the pandan leaves, and let the pot sit for 5 minutes. This short rest lets the bananas finish soaking up the sweet, salty coconut sauce.
- 2 pandan leaves (to remove)
✅ Done when: the sauce has thickened slightly and the bananas look glossy
Serve warm
Ladle the bananas and warm coconut sauce into small bowls and serve right away. In Thailand this is eaten warm, any time of day, as a comforting everyday treat.
Prepare the bananas
Peel the bananas and cut them on the diagonal into bite-size pieces, about 3 cm thick. Soak the pieces in the salted water for 5 minutes — this keeps them from turning brown and firms them slightly before cooking. Drain well.
- 6 ripe bananas
- 500 ml water
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the banana pieces look pale, not browned, and feel slightly firm
Make the light coconut broth
In a medium pot, combine 250 ml of the coconut milk with the extra water, the pandan leaves and the palm sugar. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture smells sweet and fragrant.
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 150 ml water
- 2 pandan leaves
- 70 g palm sugar
✅ Done when: the sugar has dissolved and the broth smells sweet and fragrant
Poach the bananas
Add the drained banana pieces to the pot. Cook at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil, for 5–8 minutes, stirring only once or twice so the pieces don't break apart. They're ready when the edges turn slightly translucent and they're tender but still hold their shape.
- 6 bananas (from step 1)
✅ Done when: the banana pieces are tender when pierced but still hold their shape, with translucent edges
Add the rich coconut milk
Lower the heat and stir in the remaining 150 ml of coconut milk along with the fine salt. Warm through gently for 2–3 minutes without letting it come to a boil — boiling at this point can make the coconut milk curdle and look grainy instead of smooth, at around 80°C (176°F) it should just steam, not bubble hard.
- 150 ml coconut milk (remaining)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
✅ Done when: the sauce looks smooth, creamy and glossy, with no sign of separating
Rest briefly
Turn off the heat, remove and discard the pandan leaves, and let the pot sit for 5 minutes. This short rest lets the bananas finish soaking up the sweet, salty coconut sauce.
- 2 pandan leaves (to remove)
✅ Done when: the sauce has thickened slightly and the bananas look glossy
Serve warm
Ladle the bananas and warm coconut sauce into small bowls and serve right away. In Thailand this is eaten warm, any time of day, as a comforting everyday treat.
The Story Behind the Dish
Kluay buat chi is one of the simplest and most loved desserts in Thai home cooking, found on family tables and at temple fairs alike. Its name, which translates roughly as 'bananas ordained as a nun,' comes from the way the pale, milky coconut sauce resembles the white robes worn by Buddhist nuns, with the soft banana pieces standing in for the newly ordained.
Cooks have long relied on ripe bananas and coconut milk, two ingredients found in nearly every Thai kitchen and market, to put this dessert together quickly on a weeknight or in larger batches for merit-making gatherings at temples.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's loved for its gentle sweetness, soft banana texture and the warm, lightly salted coconut sauce that balances the sugar — comfort food in its purest Thai form.
💡 Fun Fact
The combination of coconut milk and banana appears in desserts across Southeast Asia, but the Thai version stands out for its light touch of salt, a trick Thai cooks use throughout their sweets to sharpen the overall flavor.
Central Thailand
13.76°N, 100.50°E
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