← Nouns Cooking · Thai

Ingredients

• 250 g Split, skinned mung beans, soaked for 3 hours
• 300 ml Coconut milk
• 150 g Sugar
• ½ tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Agar agar powder
• 250 ml Water
• 50 g Sugar
• food colouring gels in several colours

Method

1. Drain the mung beans and steam them for 25–30 min, until completely soft.
2. Blend the hot beans with the coconut milk until very smooth, then cook in a non-stick pan with the sugar and salt over medium-low heat for 20–25 min, stirring constantly, until it forms a soft dough that leaves the sides of the pan.
3. Cool the dough, then shape it into small fruits about 2 cm across: cherries, mangoes, chillies, oranges. Push each onto a toothpick and stand them in a foam block or upturned colander.
4. Paint the fruits with colouring diluted in a little water, using a fine brush. Let them dry for 30 min.
5. Bring the water, agar and sugar to the boil and simmer for 2 min, stirring. Keep it warm. Dip each fruit, let it set for a minute, then dip again two more times for a shiny coat.
6. Leave to set for 15 min, then trim the jelly at the base, slide off the toothpicks and finish with tiny leaves cut from pandan or angelica.

Tips

• Keep the agar on very low heat between dips; if it sets in the pan, warm it up again.
• Store in a sealed box in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hungry in Thailand Hot Thai Kitchen