Num plae ai

*Num plae ai*
	Num plae ai in a banana leaf bowl
Alternative names	num plae ai, num plae aiy, num plae ay, nom plae ay, nom plaiy aiy, nom plai ai
Type	Rice cakes
Place of origin	Cambodia
Region or state	Southeast Asia
Main ingredients	glutinous rice flour, palm sugar, grated coconut
Ingredients generally used	dry roasted sesame seeds, pandan leaf juice, coconut milk
Similar dishes	klepon, khanom kho

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Num plae ai (Khmer: នំផ្លែអាយ) is a Cambodian rice cake made from glutinous rice flour filled with palm sugar and garnished with grated coconut.^[2]

Etymology

In Khmer, the term num (នំ) refers to cakes, cookies, or many desserts in general,^[3] while the word plae (ផ្លែ) means "fruit".^[4] English translations of num plae ai include "rice sugar pearls",^[5] "sweet rice dumplings"^[6] and "cakes of forgiveness".^[7]

Preparation and variations

The exterior of num plae ai is prepared by combining glutinous rice flour with salt and warm water, then kneading the mixture into a dough. The dough is shaped into small discs, each with a piece of palm sugar in the middle of it, which is then wrapped into the dough disc, sealed, and rolled into a ball. These balls are boiled in water, cooled, and finally garnished with grated coconut before serving.^[5] Traditionally, num plae ai are served in small bowls made out of banana leaves.^[8]

A garnish of dry roasted, lightly pounded sesame seeds mixed with grated coconut is also common.^[6] In some variations, pandan leaf juice and coconut milk are incorporated into the dough,^[1] while grated coconut may be blended with the palm sugar to form the filling.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Num Plae Ai". Flavourfully Good. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Cambodia: Nom Plae Ai". 196 Flavors. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
^ Headley, Richard K.; Chhor, Kylin; Kheang, Lim Hak; Lim, Lam Kheng; Chun, Chen (1977). Cambodian English Dictionary Volume I ក ភ. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press. p. 457. ISBN 978-081-3-20509-0. នំ /num/ n. cake, cookie, generic name for many kinds of desserts.
^ Headley, Richard K.; Chhor, Kylin; Kheang, Lim Hak; Lim, Lam Kheng; Chun, Chen (1977). Cambodian English Dictionary Volume I ក ភ. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press. p. 622. ISBN 978-081-3-20509-0. /plae/ 1. n. fruit.; p. to bear fruit. 2. n. blade (of a knife).; 3. (in) ការផ្លែ p. to insult, to scold indirectly.
^ ^a ^b Rivière, Joannès (2008). Cambodian Cooking: A humanitarian project in collaboration with Act for Cambodia. Periplus Editions. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-794-65039-1.
^ ^a ^b De Monteiro, Longteine; Neustadt, Katherine (1998). The Elephant Walk Cookbook: Cambodian Cuisine from the Nationally Acclaimed Restaurant. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 274–275. ISBN 0395892538.
^ "Nom Plai Ai". Kroya Restaurant. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
^ Ros, Rotanak; Lee, Nataly (2019). Nhum: Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen. Rotanak Food Media. p. 209. ISBN 978-9-92-493370-0.