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

This article contains Khmer text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Khmer script.

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.

This article about Cambodian cuisine is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[Flavourfully_Good-1] "Num Plae Ai". Flavourfully Good. Retrieved 2 September 2025.

[196flavors-2] "Cambodia: Nom Plae Ai". 196 Flavors. Retrieved 2 September 2025.

[3] 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.

[4] 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.

[Riviere-5] Rivière, Joannès (2008). Cambodian Cooking: A humanitarian project in collaboration with Act for Cambodia. Periplus Editions. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-794-65039-1.

[Elephant_Walk-6] 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.

[7] "Nom Plai Ai". Kroya Restaurant. Retrieved 2 September 2025.

[Ros-8] Ros, Rotanak; Lee, Nataly (2019). Nhum: Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen. Rotanak Food Media. p. 209. ISBN 978-9-92-493370-0.

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v t e Cambodian cuisine
Individual dishes	Bai pong moan Bay sach chruk Beef lok lak Bok trop pgnon Chanang Cha kroeung Chha kh'nhei Chha trob Prahok ktis Kampot Pepper Crab Khor sach chrouk Kha Khor cheung chrouk Khmom ang Kola noodles Prohet Samlor kako Samlor machu (Samlor machu ktis) Samlor prahal Sngao mreah Sngor ngam ngov Stir-fried morning glory Trei boeng kanh chhet
Curries	Fish amok Num banhchok Kari sach moan Saraman curry
Salads	Pleah sach ko Neorm trasak Neorm masour Neorm kroch thlong Nhoam svay Larb
Sauces, spices and flavourings	Fish sauce (Kampot fish sauce) Kroeung Prahok Kapi Tamarind sauce
Desserts, snacks and pastries	Banh chao Bey dom neib Bor bor thnaut Cha huoy teuk Chek ktis Kralan Leas hal Nataing Num akor Num ansom Nom chak chol Num chak kachan Num chak chan Num chek chien Num kreab Num krok Num pang Num plae ai Num pom Sankya lapov Poat dot Trei ngeat ovlek Vawee
Beverages	Angkor Beer Green tea Longan wine Palm wine Rice wine (Sra peang) Sugarcane juice
Cambodian Chinese dishes	Babor Banh chaneouk Bai cha Kuyteav Lort cha Mee katang Mee kiev Naem chien Num kachai Num kroch Num kom Num pang chen Num pao Num pia Num por pia Siev mai Yao hon
Category: Cambodian cuisine