Tub Tim Grob (Red Rubies in Coconut Milk)
Crunchy water chestnut "rubies" in a chewy jelly coat, served icy cold in sweet coconut milk. Pure Bangkok heatwave relief.
Ingredients
- 150 g tinned water chestnuts, drained, cut into 1 cm dice
- 1 tsp red food colouring (or beetroot juice)
- 120 ml water, for colouring
- 100 g Tapioca starch
- 100 g Sugar
- 120 ml water, for the syrup
- 1 pandan leaf, knotted (optional)
- 250 ml Coconut milk
- 1 tbsp sugar, for the coconut milk
- 1 pinch Salt
- 480 ml crushed ice
Method
- Stir the food colouring into the 120 ml water, add the diced water chestnuts and leave them for 15 min, until they turn a deep pink-red.
- Simmer the sugar, water and pandan for 2–3 minutes until the sugar dissolves, then cool. Warm the coconut milk with the sugar and salt just until dissolved, and cool too.
- Drain the water chestnuts but keep them a little damp. Toss them in the tapioca starch until every piece is well coated, then shake off the excess in a sieve.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Cook the rubies in two batches for 2–3 minutes, until they float and the coating turns translucent with no white left.
- Scoop them straight into iced water to stop the cooking and keep them chewy.
- Spoon the drained rubies into bowls with a little syrup, pour over the coconut milk and pile crushed ice on top. Serve straight away.
Tips
- Cook them on the day; the jelly coat hardens in the fridge.
- Diced jackfruit or young coconut flesh are traditional extras.
Sources
Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:
Open Tub Tim Grob (Red Rubies in Coconut Milk) in Nouns Cooking