Coconut Palm Sugar (nam tan bpeep in Thai, arenga spp, or jaggery in India) is a coarse brown sugar with a distinct caramel flavor and is less cloyingly sweet then cane sugar. Use it in recipes calling for palm or coconut sugar.

Originally made from the sap of the palmyra palm (borassus flabellifera), it is now generally made from the sap of coconut palms. The juice from the sap is collected and boiled in water until the water evaporates and the sugar crystallizes. This coconut sugar is lighter and milder in taste then palm sugar. Its intense caramel-like flavor is an integral part of the Thai taste profile, certainly, worth the effort to find and buy it. The darker color and stickier sugar are preferred.

To make it easier to measure smash palm sugar with a heavy clever or small kitchen hammer to break into smaller portions for dissolving in hot liquids or grate with a cheese grater. Or try this simple way to soften palm sugar. Place the palm sugar disc in a small bowl with a teaspoon of water and microwave briefly, about 30 seconds depending on your oven. Smash with a spoon until uniform in consistency and then it's ready for adding to recipes. Another suggestion to soften hard palm sugar, is to place dampened paper towels over the sugar in a closed container for a few days - this adds some moisture to the sugar without microwaving, but takes more forethought.

Add to stir-fries, dipping sauces, and desserts. Also palm sugar can be added to herbal teas to treat sore throat, colds, and congestion.

Palm sugar will keep indefinitely in the cupboard. This palm sugar contains 8 pieces of sugar, with no additives (100% palm sugar).

See recipes using Palm Sugar: Lemongrass Chicken, Green Papaya Salad, Haw Mohk, Pad Thai, Red Curry, Green Curry, Seafood Salad and Sweet Pumpkin

Also see Coconut Palm Sugar from Vietnam.

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