Mont Phet Htoke, Banana-Leaf Parcels of Coconut and Jaggery
မုန့်ဖက်ထုပ်
Chewy glutinous-rice dough folded over dark coconut-and-jaggery filling and steamed in banana leaf — a market-day mont from Mon State's palm country.
Also spelled: Mont Phet Htok
By Burmese Cookbook Kitchen · July 9, 2026
မွန် Mon & Kayin CountryKonbaung, 1752–1885
၇- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
Phet htoke means leaf packet, and the name is the recipe: a soft glutinous dough, a dark heart of coconut and jaggery, and a banana leaf folded around both and steamed until the whole parcel smells of toasted green. Unwrapping one at a market stall — the leaf peeling back with a sigh of steam — is among the small reliable pleasures of a Burmese morning.
It belongs to the mont family, and the word mont itself is the Mon people's gift to the Burmese table — a loan carried up from the old Hanthawaddy country of Lower Burma into every teashop in the nation. That is why we plant this recipe in Mon State, the homeland of the tradition and a coast rich in exactly what the parcel needs: coconut palms and palm sugar. By Konbaung times, leaf-wrapped steamed mont were ordinary market fare across Lower Burma — though we will be honest that the banana leaf keeps no archive, and the technique of dough, leaf, and steam is plainly older than any surviving record of it.
Success is mostly in the wrapper's grammar. The filling — ohn htanyet, coconut candied in jaggery — must go in fully cooled, the dough kneaded soft as an earlobe, and every banana leaf wilted glossy over a flame before it is asked to fold. Then the steamer does the quiet work, and the rest — the ten patient minutes before unwrapping — does the rest.
Wilt every banana leaf over a flame until it goes glossy and limp before folding — a stiff leaf cracks at the crease and your parcel steams open.
မီးဖိုချောင်စကား · A word from the kitchen
Ingredientsပါဝင်ပစ္စည်း
Serves 6
Tap to check off as you gather
For the filling
- grated coconut — fresh or frozen — desiccated needs 3 tbsp hot water and ten minutes to soften
- palm sugar (jaggery) — shaved or chopped
- water
- salt
For the dough
- glutinous rice flour
- rice flour — a little plain rice flour keeps the dough from turning gluey
- warm water
- salt
For wrapping
- banana leaf squares — about 20 cm, fresh or thawed frozen
- peanut oil — for brushing the leaves
Methodချက်နည်း
Tap a numeral as you finish each step
Step 1: Cook the coconut-jaggery filling
Melt the jaggery with the water in a small pan over medium-low heat, add the coconut and salt, and cook, stirring, until the mixture darkens, turns sticky, and holds together when pressed — 6 to 8 minutes. This is ohn htanyet, the coconut-jaggery candy at the heart of half the mont family. Cool it fully; warm filling melts holes in the dough.
Step 2: Make the dough
Whisk both flours and the salt, then work in the warm water gradually with your hand until you have a soft, smooth dough like earlobes — pliable, barely tacky, holding a thumbprint. Warm water hydrates glutinous flour more evenly than cold; if the dough cracks when rolled, knead in water a teaspoon at a time.
Step 3: Wilt the banana leaves
Pass each leaf square briskly over a gas flame or hot electric burner until it turns glossy, deep green, and limp — a few seconds a side. Wilting melts the leaf's waxy stiffness so it folds without splitting, and the light toasting is the perfume the whole mont is named for. Brush the shiny sides lightly with oil.
Step 4: Fill and fold the parcels
Divide the dough into 12 balls. Flatten each on an oiled palm into a disc, set a heaped teaspoon of cooled filling in the center, and pinch the dough closed around it. Set each ball seam-down on a leaf square, press gently flat, and fold the leaf over it like a small envelope — sides in, then ends under. No string needed; the parcel's own weight holds the folds.
Step 5: Steam the parcels
Arrange the parcels seam-down in a steamer in one layer and steam over steady rolling steam for 15 to 18 minutes. The dough is done when it turns from chalk-white to faintly translucent at the edges — peek into one sacrificial parcel rather than guessing.
Step 6: Rest before unwrapping
Let the parcels stand 10 minutes off the heat. Straight from the steamer the dough is molten and shapeless and will glue itself to the leaf; rested, it sets to its proper chew and releases with a clean peel. Eat warm or at room temperature, with green tea.
ခွက်ယောက် · The tools
Equipment
Tiered steamer
ပေါင်းအိုးFor sticky rice, steamed mont, and reheating without drying out. Bamboo or stainless both work.
Shop on Amazon →Box grater / microplane
ခြစ်စက်Fine ginger, green papaya shreds, and toddy-palm jaggery shavings.
Shop on Amazon →
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ဟင်းစုံ · Set the table
A Burmese meal is a spread
A mont wants a cup of something beside it:
How a Burmese meal is built →Questions from the kitchen
I cannot find banana leaves. Is there any substitute?
Parchment squares will steam the mont perfectly well mechanically, but you lose the toasted-leaf perfume that is half the dish's character. Frozen banana leaves from Asian or Latin grocers are honestly nearly as good as fresh once wilted — hunt for those before settling for paper.
Can I make them ahead?
They keep a day at room temperature in their leaves, which is exactly how markets sell them, and the leaf keeps the dough from drying. They stiffen in the fridge as all glutinous-rice sweets do; revive refrigerated parcels with 5 minutes of steaming, never a microwave on full power, which turns the dough to rubber at the edges.
Why did my filling leak out during steaming?
Either the filling went in warm — it melts through the dough like a coal through snow — or the seam was not fully pinched before the parcel was folded. Cool the filling completely, seal the dough ball shut with a real pinch and a roll between the palms, and set parcels seam-down so gravity works for you.
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