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Buko pandan
Coconut pandan jelly dessert
Buko pandan: young coconut and pandan jelly in sweetened cream
Big bowls of buko pandan come out of Filipino fridges for Christmas, New Year and every family reunion in between. Soft strips of young coconut and cubes of bright green pandan jelly are folded into chilled sweetened cream, so each spoonful is cool, fragrant and slightly chewy. This version sets the jelly with agar (gulaman) rather than gelatin, so it is fully vegetarian. Chef's tip: let the jelly set completely before cutting and folding; half-set agar breaks into mush and turns the cream cloudy green.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pandan jelly
- 8 pandan leavescut up (or 1 tsp pandan extract)
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 2 ½ tsp agar powder
- 2 ⅞ oz white sugar
For the cream
- 14 oz young coconut flesh (buko)shredded, fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 ¼ cups double creamchilled
- 7 oz sweetened condensed milkchilled
- 3 ½ oz cooked small tapioca pearls (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Blend 8 pandan leaves with 3 ¼ cups water, then strain through a fine sieve, pressing the pulp, to get a bright green liquid.
5 minStep 2: Whisk 2 ½ tsp agar powder and 2 ⅞ oz white sugar into the pandan water in a pan, bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring, until the agar has completely dissolved.
5 minStep 3: Pour into a square dish and leave to set at room temperature, then chill until firm, about 1 hour.
60 minStep 4: Cut the jelly into 1.5 cm cubes.
3 minStep 5: In a large bowl, stir 1 ¼ cups double cream and 7 oz sweetened condensed milk together until smooth, then fold in 14 oz young coconut flesh (buko), the jelly cubes and 3 ½ oz cooked small tapioca pearls.
3 minStep 6: Cover and chill for at least 2 hours so the flavours meld. Serve very cold in small bowls; it keeps in the fridge for 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does buko pandan take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of double cream?
- Whipping cream, same amount (less rich; whips softer).
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