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Kitchen Essentials

This is a take on a classic but less popular dim sum dish, coconut jelly. The version I grew up with featured layers of coconut jelly and a silky, custard-y paste. In retrospect, this was likely a taro paste, but to emulate the mixture of textures that I loved as a kid, I used pandan mung bean paste.

This recipe can be made in the more traditional form factor, sliced into neat rectangles, or it would work equally well as a panna cotta style dessert poured into and served in glassware so guests can see the stripes. If taking the latter approach, you’ll probably end up with fewer servings so make sure to double or triple the recipe accordingly.

This isn’t necessarily a hard recipe and it doesn’t require a ton of ingredients, but it can take a while because of the wait time between each layer. But the good part is that this can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge, so it’s a great make-ahead dessert option.

Coconut Mung Bean Jelly

Soak the mung beans with an ample amount of cool water overnight — they will double in size, so be sure to add enough water.

Place your mold(s) in the fridge to cool. If opting for sliced rectangles, use a rectangular glass dish (like Pyrex or similar) — mine is about 7”x7”, but you can use slightly larger or smaller. If opting for “panna cotta” style, refrigerate your glass cups/dishes.

The next day, rinse and drain the mung beans well. Line a steamer basket with parchment (it helps to crumple the parchment paper under some water to make it pliable), then add the mung beans and spread them in an even layer. Steam over medium-low heat with the lid on for 30 minutes, until very soft. Cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, add the cool water and sprinkle the gelatin powder on top. Quickly mix with a fork until well combined with no chunks. Set aside to firm up.

Diamond brand kosher salt (half as much if using table salt)

In a small pot, heat the coconut milk, brown sugar, pandan leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil and mix until the sugar dissolves (this should be pretty quick). Transfer coconut mixture to a high powered blender (if you don't have one, a normal blender will work but your “custard” won't be as smooth), then quickly add the firm gelatin puck. Put the lid on the blender and pulse on low speed to dissolve the gelatin completely. Add the coconut water and pulse again briefly.

Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and into a medium-sized bowl. Use a rubber spatula to squeeze all the liquid through and discard the remaining solids. Rinse the blender and shake out any excess water (you don’t need to completely dry the blender container), then return the strained mixture to the blender.

Add about 120 grams of the steamed mung beans to the blender and blend on high speed until very smooth. Check the consistency by picking up a spoonful of the mixture and pouring it back into the blender. The mixture should be a bit thicker than condensed milk but still flow freely. If the drizzled mixture looks too thin, add additional mung bean about 2 Tbsp at a time and continue blending. If the drizzled mixture is too thick (you can tell this if the drizzled liquid leaves an obvious trail where it flows instead of completely sinking in/flattening), add some water 1 Tbsp at a time until you achieve the correct texture.

Once you reach the right consistency, pour the mixture into a container with a spout and set aside.

240g full  fat coconut milk (remainder of can)

In the same small pot, heat the coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and mix until the sugar completely dissolves. Remove the pot from the heat and add the firm gelatin puck, stirring to dissolve completely. Transfer the mixture to a medium sized bowl, then add the coconut water and mix well to combine, but without mixing or “whipping” the mixture too aggressively, as this will introduce bubbles that will be hard to get rid of later.

Make sure both the coconut liquid and pandan liquid are room temperature. If one or both of the mixtures are still too warm, wait and allow them to cool completely.

Remove the mold(s) from the fridge and add the first layer of coconut jelly. Decide how many layers you want to make and pour the liquid amount accordingly (if you want 5 total layers, 3 will be coconut and 2 will be mung bean, so you'll use 1/3 of the coconut mixture for he first layer, and so on). Carefully transfer to the fridge and cool until firm. Depending on your mold and the size of your layers, this can take anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. The first layer takes the longest in my experience!

Once firm, remove the mold(s) and add the first layer of mung bean “custard”. Make sure this layer reaches all the way to the edges and is completely flat/smooth. You can help it along by giving it a gentle, but firm, shake, and/or buy carefully spreading it with a spoon or offset spatula. Be careful to not nick the jelly! Return the mold(s) to the fridge and let cool until firm. This may take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Continue this process until you're done, finishing with a white coconut layer.

Chill for at least 4 hours to ensure the jelly is completely set, then dip the mold for just a couple of seconds in boiling water (do not hold it in for too long or the jelly will melt!), then invert it on a plate and slicing, if desired. If the jelly won’t release from the mold, don’t return it to the hot water. Instead, run a thin flexible spatula along one or two edges of the mold to help release it. Don’t worry if the edges end up a bit messy, as they can easily be cut off for a clean finish.

To get the cleanest slices, use a kitchen knife dipped in very hot water between every slice. If slices start to get a little bit melty, just return the jelly to the fridge to firm up again.