Chinese
Asia Unplated
From
Asia Unplated
season
1
episode
5
Mango pudding
With
Diana Chan
Hong Kong's classic mango pudding, set with gelatine and evaporated milk.
SERVES
4
About this recipe
Hong Kong's restaurant dessert standard. Mango puree set with gelatine and evaporated milk into something between custard and jelly, with cubes of fresh mango folded through and toasted coconut flakes over the top. Cool, scented, the right close to a yum cha lunch.
Mango pudding is Cantonese banquet food, popularised in the 1970s Hong Kong restaurant scene as a lighter, fruitier counterpoint to the heavier almond jellies and red bean soups of the old guard. Evaporated milk is the signature ingredient that distinguishes it from a Western fruit jelly: the slightly cooked, condensed dairy note is what gives the pudding its specific, recognisable depth.
The ratio of gelatine to liquid matters. Too much and the pudding goes rubbery; too little and it never sets. Around 10g of leaf gelatine to 850ml of total liquid (puree, milk, sugar dissolved in water) gives the soft, just-set wobble that the dish is famous for.
Fold the diced fresh mango through before the pudding sets so the chunks stay suspended rather than sinking to the bottom. Set in individual ramekins or one large bowl. Serve with a final drizzle of evaporated milk and a scatter of toasted coconut flakes. The kind of dessert that finishes a banquet without weighing anyone down.
Ingredients
- 700g mango puree
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 10g gelatine leaves, softened in water
- 150ml evaporated milk, plus extra for serving
- 1 mango, diced into cubes
- ½ cup toasted coconut flakes (the large flakes)
Method
1. Place a small saucepan over low heat. Add half of the mango puree, sugar and softened gelatine, and stir until sugar and gelatine have dissolved.
2. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl with remaining mango puree and evaporated milk. Stir to combine.
3. Divide mixture among four shallow pudding moulds. Cover and refrigerate overnight or until set.
4. Use a small, sharp knife to loosen the puddings from the moulds, then turn out onto a serving plate. Top puddings with a drizzle of evaporated milk, diced mango and toasted coconut flakes.
Diana Chan
Diana Chan won MasterChef Australia in 2017 with a precision-led repertoire built on Malaysian-Chinese home cooking. She hosts Asia Unplated, a tour through regional kitchens that treats the home cooks as the experts. Her recipes lean technical without losing the household feel they came from.
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