Sticky rice banana cake (Ansom chek)

Ansom chek, also known as num ansom chek, is a traditional sticky rice cake combined with slices of banana. The cake is steamed in banana leaves. The dessert is made with a mixture of sticky rice, coconut milk, and coconut shavings that is spread over banana leaves, topped with a slice of salted, ripe baby banana which is covered with more rice, and then the whole thing is carefully enclosed within the banana leaves.

The resulting cylindrical-shaped dessert is then steamed until tender and fragrant. Ansom chek can optionally be enriched with red mung beans or black beans and it can also be sweetened with palm sugar if desired. In Cambodia, this sweet delicacy is traditionally prepared for important celebrations such as Cambodian New Year and the religious festival Pchum Ben (Festival of Souls).