I remember as a child, walking to the night market with my parents and eyeing the tempting sweets that lined the bustling streets of our local area. These sweets were usually bought from the street vendors as special treats rather than made at home.

This is a childhood favourite, a welcomed cooling treat during the hot season. Generous amount of crushed ice was added to the creamy coconut milk mixed with caramel-like sugar syrup and chewy sago pearls. This recipe is very simple and you can add additional flavours and textures to it if you wish.

This is a sweet snack made during the water festival, Thingyan, in mid-April to mark the lunar new year. People, young and old, throw water over each other to celebrate and welcome the new year by washing away bad luck.

This is the second week running I find a wedge of pumpkin in our vegetable box. I am a little surprised to find pumpkin in late Spring which takes me on a search of seasonal vegetables in Australia.

description
Similar to other SE Asian cuisines, coconut is used in curries, rice and sweet snacks. Canned or cartons of coconut milk and cream are widely available. For best result, use freshly grated coconut and water to extract fresh coconut milk.
substitutes
None
availability
Supermarkets, Asian stores
related recipes
Coconut agar jelly, Coconut chicken curry, Coconut noodle soup, Coconut rice

What I love about this sweet jelly is that it’s easy to make and looks impressive: the coconut milk separates and sets to form two layers, white on top and translucent underneath.