CHAI COCONUT AND MANGO CREAMS

Serves 4

Preparation Time 30 mins

Cooking Time 20 mins

Ingredients

 

 

• 4 allspice berries

• 4 cardamom pods

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 3 cloves

• 1 vanilla pod, split, or 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 x 400ml cans full-fat coconut milk

• 100g caster sugar (healthy alternative 5 tbs date syrup, coconut, maple according to preference)

• a little vegetable or sunflower oil, for greasing (or coconut oil for healthy alternative

• 1 ripe mango, 1 cheek cut into small dice and set aside to serve, remaining 140g/5oz roughly chopped

• juice ½ lime

• 4 tbsp agar-agar flakes

• 2 tbs water

• 2 crinkly passion fruits, to serve

• mint leaves, to serve

• toasted coconut shavings, to serve

 

 

AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.....

 

 

1. Put the allspice berries and cardamom pods in a large saucepan. Use the end of a rolling pin to gently split open the cardamom pods and crack the allspice into a few pieces.
    

2. Add the remaining spices, coconut milk and 140g of the caster sugar (or 5 tbs date syrup) to the pan. Set over a gentle heat and simmer for 3 mins. Cool, then chill overnight.  (You can speed up this process by transferring mixture into a bowl, covering with cling film and putting in the freezer for about an hour - do check and not let it start to crystalise.
    

3. Grease 4 x 200ml pudding moulds, ramekins or pretty glasses with a little coconut oil (you can skip this if you don’t want to turn the creams out once set).
    

4. Put the mango into a food processor and blend to a purée. Sieve the purée into a bowl and set aside.  
    

5. Put 2 tbs water and the lime juice into a saucepan, sprinkle 1 tbsp agar agar flakes over the surface and leave to stand for 5 mins or until the agar agar has dissolved and heat gently. Stir the agar agar into the purée and then divide between the moulds and chill for at least 2 hrs or until set.  (Once again, I put mine into the freezer to speed up the cooling process).
    

6. Sieve the infused coconut milk into a clean pan and discard the spices.   Sprinkle over the remaining agar agar flakes and leave for 5 mins until the agar agar has dissolved.      Heat gently for 3-5 mins, stirring now and then. Divide the mixture between the moulds and chill for at least 4 hrs, or overnight.
    

7. To serve, dip the base of each mould into hot water for 10 secs or so, then turn out onto a plate. Top each dessert with a little chopped mango, some passion fruit seeds and a small sprig of mint, then sprinkle the coconut flakes around the plate.