Coconut and Mango Duo

Happy Valentines Day friends! Spreading a little love to be loved. A refreshing and tasty Coconut and Mango Jelly Duo is an easy and gluten free dessert that is simple and elegant looking. It can also be a great vegan and all natural dessert if you pick the right ingredient mentioned. 


As everyone is switching from soda to the natural drinks, I chose tender coconut as the key ingredient to make this Coconut and Mango Jelly Duo. A magnificent dessert "Kyauk Kyuak" pronounced as Chhow Chhow, inherited from Thai cuisine is modified to our convenience. Yes, Pandan leaf is the essential ingredient for this dessert for flavoring, while I simply subbed with pure vanilla extract sparingly to retain the pristine white from the coconut milk. 



The Jelly like constancy is gained by using Agar Agar or popularly known as China grass. It's an excellent plant based ingredient extracted from Algae, hence great for vegetarians and vegans. It results in a firm texture and can congeal at room temperature. Agar Agar can be substituted with gelatin (extracted from animal skin and bone). Whereas, Gelatin results in an airy, jiggly texture which must be refrigerated to retain its shape.  Although the 2 components - Agar Agar and Gelatin can be interchangeable, you may pick what is readily available or according to your preferences. 






PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME

Category: Dessert / Sweet
Cuisine: Thai
Level: Easy
Yields: 6" x 8" rectangular dish or 6-8 individual cocktail glasses 
INGREDIENTS

Coconut milk layer:

Coconut water - 1 cup ( used Zico)
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 4 tablespoons * approximately
Agar Agar or Gelatin powder - 1+1/2 teaspoons*
Pandan leaf - 5 inches or Pure vanilla extract - 1 drop*
Salt - 1 pinch
Young (tender) coconut meat - few tiny pieces (optional) which I failed to add.

Coconut water layer:

Coconut water - 2 cups
Sugar - 3 tablespoons *
Agar Agar or Gelatin powder - 1+1/2 teaspoons
Pandan leaf - 5 inches or Pure vanilla extract - 1 drop

Mango Layer:
Mango puree -  2 cups
Mango flesh - few small pieces(optional) I missed:(
Orange Juice - 1/2 cup (freshly squeezed)
Water - 1 1/4 cups
Agar Agar powder - 2 teaspoons
Sugar - 1/3 cup 
Lime juice - to taste

DIRECTIONS

Coconut milk layer:

1. In a sauce pan pour in the coconut water and sprinkle the Agar Agar powder and stir to mix in medium heat. 


2. Add the coconut milk, sugar, salt and the pandan leaf or vanilla extract (I used the later).



3. Bring this to a boil stirring frequently. Once it comes to a full boil the agar agar powder should be completely dissolved. You may feel free to add the tender coconut pieces at this point and bring it to a boil again. 


4. Simmer the heat and keep the pan covered until you make the next layer to keep the liquid warm. However, I used both my stoves and stirring both layers simultaneously to save time. Check notes 3 to double check if the Agar Agar dissolved completely.


Coconut water layer:

5. In another sauce pan pour the coconut water and sprinkle the Agar Agar powder and sit to mix well.


6. To this add salt, vanilla extract or pandan leaf and bring it to a boil stirring frequently. 

7. Repeat step 3 and refrigerate to set.


Mango Layer:


8. In a saucepan pour in water and sprinkle the Agar Agar powder and stir to mix in medium heat. Bring this to a full boil until dissolved.

9. To this whisk in orange juice, sugar, mango puree and lime juice as per your taste (little goes a long way). Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. 

10. Add mango pieces if you wish. Pour the mixture into a mould and refrigerate until the surface  sets. The jelly should not jiggle in the mould when moved.

11. Once set, gently pour in half of the the coconut layer and refrigerate to set, minimum of 4 hours.


Assembly:

I made 3 layers for my coconut duo. Using only half coconut milk and half coconut water for each layer. 

1. Spoon out any bubbles of you see and pour gently the 1st half of coconut milk (white layer) into any dish of your choice. I like to use the back of my spoon to pour the liquid gently to avoid bubbles.

2. Refrigerate  until the top layer set (approximately 5-7 minutes). 

3. The 2nd layer being Coconut water, spoon out the bubbles and gently pour in the coconut water (clear layer) using the back of your spoon to eliminate bubbles. Pour on the edge of the container, coz that where the jelly will be firmer than the center.  Pouring quickly or aggressively  tends to break the 1st layer. 

4. Refrigerate  until this 2nd layer sets (approximately 5-7 minutes). 

5. Repeat step 1 with the coconut milk (white layer) gently as described above in step 3.

6. Feel free to make more layers. Once done, let the jelly sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to set well.  


7. Run a knife around the sides of the mould and flip it on a plate gently to remove from the mould. you might have to give it a tap if needed. Cut with a sharp knife into the shape and size you desire to serve cold.

Decorated with white chocolate, blueberry, mint leaves and rose petals. Enjoy serving cold. 


NOTES AND TIPS

1. If using Agar Agar flakes, for 1 teaspoon of powder, replace with 1 tablespoon of flakes. Also soak the flakes in water separately for 10 minutes before adding it to the saucepan.  
2. Sugar can be adjusted to your taste depending on the sweetness of your coconut water.

3. To check if your Agar Agar powder is completely dissolved, spoon some liquid into a metal spoon and pour it off on a plate to check if no tiny grains stuck to the spoon, then you are good to go.

4. To dissolve the gelatin follow the directions given in the package.


Unconditional true love gives without expecting anything back. Have a wonderful day and a blessed year ahead with your loved ones!


Comments

  1. Coconut duo photos are elegant looking. Yummy mango duo. Love it!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Feel free to drop in your feedbacks, suggestions and queries here or email me. © All copyrights reserved! Thank you for supporting my passion!