I don't think I've ever posted about food or recipes (except for babies!) on the blog so you may think it's strange to find a recipe here. I come from a family of serious foodies and it is such an important part of my life (and hopefully my children's when they grow up). Also, I used to live in Singapore when I was younger so Asian food has been a really big part of my childhood and a strong influence on my taste buds! Mango and coconut are some of my favourite flavours so this dessert is pretty special for me, creamy and rich with the fruit to help lighten it.
I wanted to share this yummy dessert that was made by Leigh from The Two Hungry Girls who along with Shu, recently cooked a South East Asian feast for us at the OLA Mama! Christmas Supper Party. This is her recipe, which she is kindly sharing but please note you may need to go to a specialist Chinese supermarket for some of the ingredients. She recommends Loon Fung, New Loon Moon and the other Asian supermarkets in Chinatown or Longdan on Hackney Road. I have to confess sadly I haven't got round to making this myself yet but I will!
It would make an excellent New Year's Eve dessert as it's so special and unique - if you are going down the route of a NYE dinner party. Plus she added edible flowers which make it look super pretty, almost too good to eat! Don't be scared by the sago pearls (frogs eggs as me and my sisters used to call them when we were younger) as they really make the dish, adding an interesting texture and depth to it!
PANDAN PANNACOTTA
Makes 6 x 1/2 cup servings, serve in jam jars (if you have them)
5 pandan leaves
400ml coconut milk
175ml whole milk
70g sugar
300ml double cream
3 x gelatin leaves (5g) Dr Oetker
Bring the coconut milk, whole milk and sugar to a simmer and add washed whole pandan leaves. Turn off heat and cover pot and let steep for at least 30mins. After time is up, discard leaves and set aside warm liquid.
Put gelatin leaves in a bowl of icy water to rehydrate. Once rehydrated, remove gelatin leaves from water and add to milk mixture which should still be warm enough to melt the gelatin. Stir in double cream.
Strain into moulds and refridgerate until set.
Gula melaka syrup
3.5oz gula melaka or coconut palm sugar (Aster brand is preferable)
1/4 cup water
4 kaffir lime leaves sliced
Grate the gula melaka into a small saucepan. Add water. Bring to a boil and add kaffir lime leaves. Cover and let steep 30 mins. Strain and discard leaves, reserving the syrup.
Sago pearls
3.5oz sago pearls
5 cups water
Wash sago pearls and place in a pan with the water. Bring to a boil and continue cooking until the pearls go transparent but still maintaining its shape. Drain into a sieve and wash the pearls in cold water. Place in a bowl and chill in fridge until ready to serve.
Assemble
Top each pot of pannacotta with a tablespoon of sago pearls, a tablespoon or more of gula melaka syrup and fine diced fresh ripe mango. Edible flowers also look nice of you can find them :)
Enjoy and Happy New Year!! x
