I have said it before, and I’ll say it again: Thai cooking has my heart. Even though I’m not Thai and I have nil knowledge about Thai heritage foods, I cannot ignore my Southeast Asian sister country up north. Thailand’s intricate and flavourful food culture is like none other, and it stands all on its own. Where Malaysian food is a cross-pollination or amalgamation of different cultures, Thai food to me, is like an exotic-er version of Chinese food, and it can go to extremes–I find them either ultra-sweet, salty, sour or ultra-spicy. But if you ask any Thai, they will tell you they strive to achieve a fine balance between these four flavours. When I visited Rawai in Phuket for the first time, I was stunned by the amount of sugar-filled containers that occupied each table in every restaurant I dined at. So I always make it a point to request for “less sugar, please” whenever I order food or drinks. I’m not sure if it worked 100 percent of the time, but I’m comforted at least by the fact that I made my stand.
Thai Red Rubies Dessert with Jackfruit Slices
Ingredients
- 1 can whole water chestnuts I used fresh ones which I bought from the supermarket, about 150g
- 2-4 tsp beetroot powder/juice
- ¼ - ½ cup tapioca starch sifted
- ½ cup sugar or palm sugar (gula melaka) if using palm sugar, shave it first
- 1½ cup water or fresh jasmine water
- 6 pandan leaves washed and knotted
- A dash rose water or orange blossom water, optional add just a little at a time as the flavouring can be strong (I omitted these though)
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup water
- ⅛ tsp salt
- Slices of jackfruit or young coconut meat
- Shaved ice I make them using a blender
Instructions
- Make fresh jasmine-infused water by filling a basin with water, then fill it with fresh jasmine flowers. Cover and leave overnight.
- Cut water chestnuts into about 1 cm cubes then carve into balls. If you’re using fresh ones, wash them then remove outer skin first.
- In a bowl of water, add chestnuts and colouring until the water is bright red (about 1 and half teaspoon). Or add less for lighter colour. Stir and put aside.
- Boil 4 pieces of pandan leaves in water for 10 minutes. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Chill completely.
- Add coconut milk, salt, water and 2 pieces of pandan leaves in a pot and let boil for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Drain chestnuts and place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of tapioca starch on the chestnuts and toss to coat. Add more and toss again until all pieces are completely coated in starch (whitish looking) and are not sticking together. For a thin coating, use ¼ cup. For thicker coating go with ½ cup.
- Transfer them to a strainer and shake off excess starch. Prep a bowl of ice water for chilling the rubies after cooking.
- Sprinkle half of the rubies into a pot of boiling water, then stir. Boil for 2-4 minutes until they float. Scoop out a small amount with a slotted skimmer then dunk them into the bowl of ice water. The coating should settle into a clear gel. If there are white, uncooked starchy spots on the rubies, return them into the pot and boil for another minute. Once done, fish out the remaining rubies and place them in cold water.
- Drain the rubies once cooled. They last only for a day or two outside the fridge (do not refrigerate otherwise it will affect the texture). They’re best consumed immediately.
- Scoop rubies into a bowl, add jackfruit and/or young coconut meat. Top with syrup and coconut milk—2 parts syrup to 1 part coconut milk should suffice. Add ice, stir it around so it's really cold, and enjoy!
If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!
