The Shun Lee Cookbook - Michael Tong [74]
1 cup sugar
¾ cup evaporated milk
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons agar-agar flakes (very loosely packed)
1 tablespoon almond extract
Fresh fruit, for serving
1. Sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup cold water in a small bowl and let stand until the gelatin is softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Bring 5 ¾ cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the sugar, softened gelatin, evaporated milk, condensed milk, agar-agar, and almond extract. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, whisking often, until the agar-agar dissolves, about 20 minutes.
3. Strain the mixture through a wire strainer into a 9 x 13-inch (3 quart) baking dish. Skim off the foam so that the surface is smooth. Cool, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. (The almond “bean curd” can be made up to 2 days ahead.)
4. Using a sharp knife, cut the pudding into pieces about ½ inch square. Spoon into serving bowls, garnish with fresh fruit, and serve chilled.
THIS CANTONESE DESSERT is a not-too-sweet tapioca soup, with tiny cubes of bright orange yam and lavender-gray taro scattered throughout. The chewy tapioca pearls contrast nicely with the soft yam and taro. The tapioca is traditionally served cold with fresh fruit, but it is also delicious and curiously addictive when eaten warm, without fruit. Makes 4 to 6 servings
Chilled Tapioca and Fresh Fruit Soup
⅔ cup peeled and diced taro (½-inch dice)
⅔ cup peeled and diced orange-fleshed yam or sweet potato (½-inch dice)
½ cup (4 ounces) tapioca pearls (not instant tapioca)
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons canned coconut milk
¾ cup half-and-half
¾ cup diced chopped honeydew melon or fresh pineapple (½-inch dice)
1. Place the taro and yam in separate bowls, cover with cold water, and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain separately.
2. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in the tapioca. Return the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, until the tapioca is transparent, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the taro and cook until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the yam, sugar, coconut milk, and half-and-half, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer briskly until the yam and taro are both equally tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Drain the tapioca in a wire strainer, and add it to the coconut milk mixture. Pour the mixture into a container, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
5. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the fresh fruit. (If you wish, the soup can be served hot, right after it is made, without chilling and without the fruit.)
THIS SHANGHAINESE CREPE has a crispy golden wrapper around a lotus-paste filling with a chestnut-like flavor. Like most Chinese desserts, it is not very sweet. It is best eaten when piping hot, and is particularly delicious when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Makes 4 servings
Crepe with Lotus Paste
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 ounces lotus paste or red bean paste
1. Whisk the flour, egg, and ¾ cup water in a medium bowl until smooth.
2. Place a 14-inch skillet (measured across the bottom) over medium-high heat. Dip a cloth or paper towel in the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and oil the inside of the skillet thoroughly. Lower the heat to medium. Reserving about 3 tablespoons of the batter, pour the remaining batter into the skillet, tilting it so that the batter spreads to coat the bottom of the skillet. Cook the crepe until it is slightly gold at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Gently transfer the crepe to a cutting board. Spread the lotus paste in the center of the crepe, to within about 2 inches of the edges. Fold the crepe into a rectangle about 8 inches wide and 4 inches long, as follows: Fold up the bottom third