Suppose you’re perhaps going a little troppo with all the Australian state coronavirus lockdowns, but would prefer a tropical holiday instead. In that case, we’re here to (hopefully) provide the next best thing – a series of tropical desserts and lighter dishes to lift your mood, starting with this easy to make, flavoursome Haupia (Hawaiian Coconut Pudding).

Haupia (Hawaiian Coconut Pudding)

1½ cups coconut milk
1½ cups water
½ cup sugar
¾ cup corn starch
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
Freshly shaved coconut to serve

Method

1. Combine cornstarch, sugar, water and coconut milk. Stir until smooth, then add vanilla bean and seeds.

2. Stir over medium heat until thickened.

3. Lower heat and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

4. Pour into a flat pan. Refrigerate until set.

Mango Coulis

The simplest way to make a mango coulis is to combine puréed mango flesh, sugar, water, plus a small amount of lemon or lime juice for bite. We’re not providing a strict recipe here, as the ingredients can be blended for taste as it’s prepared. We recommend, however, that you go easy on the sugar! If you’d like some extra flavour, we recommend a touch of ground cardamom to taste.

Lemon Lime Granita

200g caster sugar
550ml cold water
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
Juice and zest of 2 limes

Side salad of tropical fruits

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and water to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

3. Add lemon and lime juice and zest and stir through.

4. When completely cooled, pour into a shallow container and place in the freezer.

5. Every few hours remove from the freezer and, with a fork, scrape lightly to create frozen lemon-lime ice crystals, mixing them into the remaining liquid; return to the freezer and continue this step every few hours until all liquid has formed ice crystals.

To Serve

Place a square of Haupia on top of a generous base of mango coulis. Garnish with fresh-shaved coconut flesh. Serve with a side of fresh-cut tropical fruits, including star fruit, lychees, mango, dragon fruit, pomegranate seeds, and a side of lemon-lime granita.

Haupia (Hawaiian Coconut Pudding) with mango coulis, lemon and lime granita + side salad of tropical fruits

Comments are closed.