Asian Recipes - Dessert Delights by Charles Ho PDF

ASIAN
RECIPE
dessert delights
The Best Recipes From Asia

By Charles Ho

Copyright © by Charles Ho 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic, or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or
retrieval system without express written, dated and signed permission
from the author.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my dad, a master chef and gourmet mentor.

Table of Contents

Dedication
INTRODUCTION
CHINESE DESSERTS
NIAN GAO
PEKING DUST
MOON CAKE
RED BEAN SOUP
DOUHUA
JAPANESE DESSERTS
SATA ANDAGI
ANPAN
MOCHI ICE CREAM
MATCHA KASUTERA
ANMITSU
KOREAN DESSERTS
PATBINGSHU
DASIK
TTEOK WITH DAECHU AND BLACK BEANS
GYEONG DAN
SUJEONGGWA
INDIAN DESSERTS
KHEER OR PAYASAM
MODAK
MYSORE PAK
SHAHI TUKDA
SHRIKHAND
SRI LANKAN DESSERTS

DODOL
BIBIKKAN
KAVUM
PANI WALALU
WATTALAPAM
IRAQI DESSERTS
BAKLAWA
QATAYEF
KLEICHA
KANAFEH
PISTACHIO HALVA
FILIPINO DESSERTS
MAJA BLANCA
YEMA
UBE HALAYA
BIKO
BUKO PANDAN
INDONESIAN DESSERTS
CENDOL
BUBUR PULUT HITAM
KOLAK
AIS CAMPUR
BUBUR KACANG HIJAU
THAI DESSERTS
TAPIOCA PUDDING
KLUAY KAEK WITH ICE CREAM
RAINBOW RICE CAKE
FAK THONG SANG-KA-YA
TAM TIM GROB IN COCONUT MILK
VIETNAMESE DESSERTS
BANH PHU THE
RAU CÂU
BANH FLAN
SUA CHUA
BANH CHUOI NUONG
Other books by Charles Ho

Conversion Tables
About The Author

INTRODUCTION
When it comes to desserts, Asia is the perfect place to taste almost all
international flavours. Although western desserts have been introduced in the
region, almost all Asian countries and their culture has successfully preserved
the delicacies they truly own.
Brief background on Asian dessert heritage and tradition
Asian desserts are closely connected to the local culture and traditions. These
unique desserts came into existence not because of cravings but of necessity. It is
only during the recent years that chefs and homes have reinvented some of these
desserts for people’s enjoyment. Early in history, desserts were considered part
of everyday meal. Mixing of sugar and sweets was a mean of preserving the
food while people waited for the next harvest season.
In some cultures, earliest desserts were prepared during festivals and other
celebrations that honour their local gods, deity, and patrons. Majority of Asian
desserts also have their own meanings and purposes. In China for example, the
sticky rice cakes and desserts would symbolize the stickiness and closeness of
family relationships, while the moon cakes and the nian gaos symbolizes good
luck, prosperity, and bountiful harvest. Most of Asian desserts also purposely
adapt to the changing seasons. During the summer, Asians have their own
versions of ice creams like the several kinds of sorbets, mixed fruits on ice, and
ice cones flavoured with tropical fruit syrups. During the rainy and colder
seasons, the steaming puddings and sticky cakes reign in the dining tables.
Popular Asian Desserts
The following are some of the popular and commonly served desserts in Asia.
And because of their diversity, some desserts may found their similarities or can
have their varieties in other countries or cultures.
- Rice or sticky rice cakes. Rice is the staple food of Asians. It is
not surprising therefore that rice has been reinvented and used to make
various kinds of desserts. Cakes and sweets made out of rice have their
own names in almost each Asian country. The Chinese call them the
gao, the Filipinos bibingka and puto, the Japanese mochi, the idli in
India, etc...
- Tapiocas. Not known by many westerners, tapioca has its roots
from Asia. And if you would search for tapioca in the Asian region,
there could be hundreds of varieties and versions. To cite an example
there is the steamed tapioca cake, pandan tapioca, tapioca pudding,
candied tapioca, tapioca sweetened by coconut milk, etc...
- Sweetened or glazed fruits and root crops. Another popular
category of Asian desserts are the use of numerous fruits and root
crops that are sweetened and glazed with syrup, honey, sugar, or
coconut milk. Popular examples include the sweetened or candied
bananas, taro root, cassava candies and sweets, beans in syrup,
pumpkin in sweetened coconut milk, and many others. These kinds of
desserts are simple and very easy to prepare.
- Fruits and mixed fruits on ice. Asia has a tropical hot weather
which makes the different ice-based desserts popular. Asia has also a
wide variety of tropical fruits and produce like mangos, pineapple,
coconut, banana, etc. The concept of mixing these tropical fruits and
chilling them with ice has been very popular. The Philippines has its
very popular halo-halo while Japan has its cherry ice cones.
Ingredients Commonly Used
As can be noticed from the categories of desserts above, much of the ingredients
used are those native and common in Asia. Rice is one major ingredient
specifically the sticky rice variety. Root crops such as taro, cassava, and potato
are also heavily used in making cakes, puddings, and sweets. Plus, the tropical
flavours of various fruits like mango, banana, pineapple, durian, and others
won’t be absent. These ingredients are sweetened either by one or a combination
of sugar, honey, sugarcane, milk and dairy products, coconut milk, etc...
This recipe book will show you the best, hassle-free way to cook Asian desserts
in your own kitchen. So your days of rushing to Asian restaurants are over;
whenever your heart craves for one, go to your kitchen, keep this book handy
and amaze everyone with your newly-discovered culinary skills.

CHINESE DESSERTS
Chinese take cooking very seriously and consider it as a treasured art. Their
appreciation for cooking is also reflected in their desserts, in which the
ingredients blend together to create a culinary rendition. However, the idea of a
dessert in China is somewhat different from that of the western culture. Chinese
meals don’t have any specific reserved for savouring sweet dishes. Rather, they
are often relished during tea time or served alongside main dishes. Nevertheless,
if your sweet tooth craves for some Oriental sweetness at the end of meal, just go
for it; after all deviating a little from the Chinese tradition won’t be a crime!
Health remains a prime concern in China while cooking food. Thus, most
Chinese desserts are low in calorie counts and boast of low-fat ingredients like
coconut milk, tofu, beans, minimal use of sugar and lots of fruits. So if you are a
weight watcher, then the days of dealing with your sweet cravings are over.
Gorge on a Chinese sweet delicacy whenever your heart desires without adding
flab to your belly and enjoy a slice of health with Chinese desserts.
Before you start binging on Chinese desserts, let’s take a look at what Chinese
cuisine has to offer:
· Bing: These are baked, flaky pastry like sun cake, moon cake and
wife cake.
· Candies: These sweet confections with nutty or fruity flavours are
usually made of honey, cane or malt sugar and their sugary yum
quotient is bound to bring back memories of childhood.
· Jellies: These soft and wobbly gels of pleasure, like aiyu and grass
jelly make great add-ons for desserts and often have medicinal
attributes.
· Gao: These chewy, fluffy or firm glutinous rice desserts are a rage
in China.
· Soup: Though it might sound unusual, but Chinese soups are often
given a dessert-like punch and come with restorative properties just
like most Chinese delicacy.
So take a look at the recipes below and enjoy Chinese desserts!

NIAN GAO
A much-loved sticky fruit cake served as an offering to Kitchen God especially
during Chinese New year.
Makes: 1 medium-sized cake Ingredients:
· 3 ¼ cup glutinous flour
· 7 oz boiling water
· 1 tbsp milk
· 2/3 cup brown sugar
· ½ cup Chinese dates
· ¼ cup nuts
· ¼ cup dried fruits
· 1 tbsp sesame seeds
· 1 tbsp vegetable oil
· Water as needed
Method:
· Pour some boiling water in a bowl of sugar and keep stirring until
the latter dissolves; set the sweetened water aside to cool.
· Meanwhile, soak the dates in a bowl of hot water for about half an
hour or until they soften and then slice them into halves; do away with
the pits.
· Empty the cups of glutinous flour in a bowl and make a deep
depression in the middle to pour in the sweetened water.
· Pour the milk over the flour and knead the mixture into soft,
pliable dough; you can add 1 tbsp of water at times to give it a soft,
satin-like texture.
· Add half of the sliced dates, nuts and dried fruits to the dough and
knead the latter further until they are properly incorporated into it.
· Drizzle some oil in a 7’’ square cake mould to grease and place the
dough in it.
· Spread the dough out until it occupies every edge of the mould and
arrange the rest of the dates to decorate.
· Top it up with sesame seeds and steam the nian gao for about 45
minutes or until its edges separate from the pan or mould.
· Allow the cake to cool before taking it out from the mould and
cover it with a wax paper before leaving the cake overnight in the
refrigerator.
· Slice the cake and serve.
Chef’s Tip: If you don’t mind too much about calories, you can deep-fry the
steamed cake after smothering it with egg-wash. The combination of crisp
coating and sweet interiors is utter bliss.
NIAN GAO

PEKING DUST
Vanilla-flavoured whipped cream with a topping of ground chestnut.
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients:
· 2 lb fresh chestnuts
· 1 ½ cup whipped cream
· Few drops pure vanilla extract
· 4 tbsp caster sugar
· ¼ cup sugar
· ½ tsp salt
Method:
· Cut the chestnuts diagonally, twice, along its flat side and cook
them in boiling water, covered, for about 45 minutes.
· Drain them, cool and peel off the shell including its papery skin.
· Slice the chestnut flesh into halves and roughly chop them into
smaller chunks.
· Add the chestnut chunks, in batches, into a blender and process
them into finer powder.
· Stir in the sugar and salt into the ground chestnut.
· Whisk the cream until it forms stiff peaks and fold in the caster
sugar, along with vanilla extract.
· Add a couple of heaping tbsp of seasoned ground chestnut to each
serving bowl and press to mould into the bowl.
· Top it up with a generous dollop or two of whipped cream and
sprinkle some more ground chestnut on top.
· Serve right away.
Chef’s Tip: You can let your imagination flow when it comes to garnishing the
dessert. Maraschino cherry, candied nuts or fruits often serve the purpose very
nicely.
PEKING DUST

MOON CAKE
A thin-crusted pastry stuffed with dense red bean paste which is a must-have
delicacy for Chinese Mid-Autumn festival Makes: 20 cakes Ingredients: For the
water shortening dough:
· 5 tbsp lard
· 2 cups all–purpose flour
· ¼ tsp salt
· 10 tbsp water
For the flaky dough:
· 5 tbsp lard
· 1 cup all-purpose flour
· Red food colouring for patterns.
For the filling:
· ¾ cup lard
· 1 lb red azuki beans
· 1 ¾ cup sugar
· Water, as needed
Method:
· To make the filling: immerse the red beans in water for a couple of
hours, drain and transfer them to a stockpot containing 8 cups of fresh
water.
· Place the stockpot over heat and cook until the water starts boiling;
reduce the flame to low and continue to simmer for 1 ½ hours.
· Once their skin begins to separate, strain the beans and do away
with the skins.
· Transfer the beans to cheesecloth and press them to squeeze out
any extra water.
· Melt the lard in a pan and stir in the sugar.
· Cook the mixture while stirring constantly, until most of its
moisture ebbs away; allow to cool and divide the filling into 20 equal
portions.
· Combine the ingredients for the water-shortening dough and knead
the mixture until it comes soft and smooth.
· Make the flaky dough similarly with its ingredients and split each
type of dough into 20 equal parts.
· Spread out one part of the flaky dough into each part of the other
dough variety and roll it out into a medium-sized circle.
· Fold the circle into thirds before rolling it out again.
· Fold it again into thirds and flatten it by pressing with your palm
until it becomes nearly 3’’ wide.
· Spoon a portion of the stuffing in the middle and wrap it up into a
closed packet; pinch the edges to seal.
· Place it in a mold, press gently and demold the cake.
· Dissolve the food colouring in water and transfer the diluted
solution on a plate, lined with paper towel.
· Press a cookie-design stamp first onto the colour and then on the
surface of the cake; make the remaining moon cakes in a similar
fashion.
· Place them in a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F
for about 20 minutes.
· Cool and serve.
Chef’s Tip: Apart from red bean paste, lotus seed puree can also be used to fill in
the moon cakes. All you need to do is boil the soaked lotus seeds until tender
and grind them into a smooth paste. Then cook the paste in oil, with lots of
sugar, until the mixture thickens and the stuffing is ready.
MOON CAKE

RED BEAN SOUP
This is a soup with dessert-like twist, made of red azuki beans and is perfect as a
summer-treat.
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
· 1 tbsp glutinous rice, soaked overnight and drained
· ½ cup azuki beans, soaked overnight and drained
· 6 tbsp brown sugar
· 4 cups water
· 3’’ dried tangerine peel
· ¼ cup peanuts, crushed
Method:
· Add the beans, rice and tangerine peel to large sauce pan,
containing 4 cups water and bring it to boil.
· Reduce the flame, put a lid on and continue to simmer the mixture
over slow flame for about 1 ¼ hour, or until the beans soften.
· Stir in the sugar until it dissolves and turn off the heat; set aside to
cool.
· Discard the peel and transfer the soup to a blender.
· Pulse it at liquefy mode, for a couple of minutes or until you get a
smooth soup, free of lumps.
· Leave it in the refrigerator to chill and ladle into serving bowls.
· Serve chilled and enjoy!
Chef’s Tip: In case you want a greater tang of orange, replace the dried peel with
a fresh one. But sometimes, the aroma might become a tad too overpowering; so
remain careful about how much of the peel you use.
RED BEAN SOUP
DOUHUA
A silky soft bean curd pudding relished throughout China with utmost pleasure.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
· 17 oz soy bean milk
· 3 tsp creamer
· 2 tsp gelatine
Method:
· Pour the soy bean in a saucepan and heat over slow flame but
avoid boiling.
· Spoon 3 tbsp warm soy milk into a bowl and stir in the gelatine.
· Stir in the mixture into the simmering milk until the gelatine melts.
· Add the creamer, give it a nice stir and continue to simmer for
another half a minute.
· Turn off the heat and set the pudding aside for about 3-4 hours to
set.
· Scoop the pudding into ramekins and serve chilled.
Chef’s Tip: Douhua tastes best when topped with sweet palm sugar syrup, but
the usual sugar syrup would also do.
DOUHUA

JAPANESE DESSERTS
Just like most East Asian cuisine, Japanese desserts are seldom considered as the
finale for a meal. Instead, if you ever happen to become a part of a Japanese
lunch or dinner, you’ll be served with a bowl of seasonal fruits as dessert. But
that doesn’t mean that Japanese are unaware of sweet delights. Sweet delicacies
do prevail in Japanese culinary backdrop, but they usually exist as tea time treats
or are even enjoyed as snack during any part of the day.
The Japanese tea time snacks or ‘wagashi” makes an integral part of the tradition
and is a must-have while drinking tea between meals. These tea sweets are
usually made out of seasonal ingredients and infused with exotic flavours of
coffee, green tea, Pandanus and Sakura (cherry blossom), passion fruit and
several other fruity flavours. Apart from being vibrant, squishy morsels of
sugary delights and their crafty motifs will certainly oozed out beauties that
almost turn them into a piece of savoury art.
Mochi or round dumpling of sticky rice flour is another classic Japanese
delicacy, stuffed with gooey filling of ice cream, jams, bean paste or fruit puree,
which turns the whole ensemble into a lavish indulgence. And if you come
across mochi without any filling, then call it Dango. Mini pancakes or ohagi, ,
kurikinton or sweet potato puree with water chestnuts, Japanese sundae or
anmitsu are some of the other well-known desserts of Japan which have the
potential to win your heart.
When we are speaking of Japanese desserts, missing out green tea flavoured
sweet dishes will be a crime. Japanese are in love with green tea and thus they
will use them in any type of dessert they can think of, be it, ice cream, mochi,
oreos or even Kit Kats.
Which Japanese dessert do you want to try out first?

SATA ANDAGI
Small doughnut balls made of sweet, dense dough, which makes a yummy
contrast to its crunchy coating.
Makes: 12-16 balls Ingredients:
· 4 cups flour
· 3 ½ tbsp baking powder
· ¾ cup milk
· 4 eggs
· 2 cups sugar
· 3 ½ tsp vanilla
· ¼ tsp salt
· Oil, for deep frying
Method:
· Whisk the eggs along with milk and vanilla into a uniform
mixture.
· Sift a mixture of flour and baking powder and stir in the rest of the
ingredients to make an even mixture.
· Slowly, stir in the dry mixture into the egg-milk mixture, adding
the former in batches and stirring at the same time until the entire dry
ingredients are incorporated.
· Continue to combine the mixture until it forms smooth and thick
batter.
· Heat oil in a deep fryer until it becomes smoking hot. Lower the
heat and maintained at 350-375 F.
· Add few tablespoons of the batter into the oil and deep fry them
until they turn golden brown and the balls floats up to the surface.
· Transfer the fried balls to a plate, lined with paper towel to soak
away the extra oil.
· They taste best when served hot but a colder one won’t be bad for
your taste buds too.
Chef’s Tip: The temperature of the oil should be maintained within the range of
350-375 degrees F to make perfect golden fried doughnut balls with Japanese
flavours.
SATA ANDAGI

ANPAN
The Japanese version of sweet bun stuffed with sweet red bean paste and
savoured throughout the country since its discovery in 1875
Makes: 8-10
Ingredients: For the dough:
· 1.1 lb all purpose flour
· 10.5 oz milk
· 2 oz butter, melted
· 2 oz caster sugar
· 1 tsp instant yeast
· ½ tsp salt
For the filling:
· 1 cup azuki beans
· 4 cups water
· 4 oz caster sugar
Method:
· To make the filing, empty the cup of beans into a saucepan of
water and heat until the water starts simmering.
· Put on a lid and continue to simmer over low flame for an hour or
until the beans soften; strain and reserve some of the cooking liquid.
· Pound the beans into a mashed pulp and pass it through a sieve to
make the paste smoother.
· Add sugar to the bean paste and stir until the former dissolves.
· Return the sweetened bean paste to the saucepan and cook it over
moderately high heat for about 15 minutes or until it attains a deep
reddish hue; in case the filling turns too dry, you can drizzle some of
the reserved liquid to moisten it up a bit.
· Set the paste aside to cool and start making the dough for anpan.
· For the dough, combine all the dry ingredients together and pour in
the milk.
· Knead the mixture into soft, pliable dough and set it aside for
about 5-10 minutes.
· Pour the melted butter into the dough and knead again to make it
even smoother; let it rest for a couple of hours or until the dough rises
to double its previous size.
· Split the dough into 8 parts and roll each of them into a ball.
· Poke a small well in the centre and place a 1’’ ball of the red bean
paste in it.
· Wrap the dough edges around it and pinch the edges to seal.
· Roll the dough back into a ball and press it slightly to give it a
shape of a bun.
· Arrange the buns on a lined baking sheet and wait until they
double in size further.
· Preheat your oven to 180 C and bake the buns for about 20
minutes or until the turn golden brown.
· Allow them to cool and serve with berry jams to turn it into a
sumptuous dessert.
Chef’s Tip: Apart from red bean paste, lotus bean or white bean paste can also
serve as luscious fillings for anpan.
ANPAN

MOCHI ICE CREAM
Yummy flavours of rich, gooey ice cream wrapped in sticky layer of glutinous
rice.
Serves: 10
Ingredients:
· 4 oz glutinous rice flour
· 2 oz sugar
· 6 fl oz water
· 10 scoops ice cream of any flavours
· Corn flour for dusting
Method:
· Pour water into a bowl of glutinous rice flour and mix them into a
smooth paste.
· Add sugar and continue to stir the mixture until the former
dissolves.
· Wrap it up in a plastic wrap and cook in the microwave oven for a
couple of minutes before stirring it again thoroughly.
· Cover the mixture again and further cook in the microwave for
about half a minute.
· Take it out of the oven, give it a nice stir and set aside to cool.
· Spread a plastic wrap across your chopping board and dust with
corn flour.
· Once the dough cools down, split it into 10 portions and flatten
each of them with your palm while keeping them on the board.
· Envelop each scoop of ice cream with the flattened dough and
pinch the edges to seal.
· Leave them in the freezer in an air-tight container.
· Serve chilled.
Chef’s Tip: Don’t forget to dust your chopping board with lots of corn flour;
otherwise the glutinous rice dough will stick to the board, thus creating
undesirable fuss.
MOCHI ICE CREAM

MATCHA KASUTERA
Green tea flavoured sponge cake baked without a speck of oil or butter.
Makes: 1 loaf Ingredients:
· ¾ cup bread flour
· ¾ cup sugar
· 1 tbsp green tea powder (matcha)
· 2 tbsp honey
· 2 tbsp milk
· 4 eggs
Method:
· Warm up your oven to 360 degrees F and line the inside of a loaf
pan with parchment paper.
· Whisk honey into warm milk and keep it aside.
· Mix the green tea powder into the flour and sift the mixture a
couple of times or more before setting it aside.
· Beat the eggs with an electric mixer while adding sugar in small
amounts until it is completely incorporated into the eggs.
· Warm some water in a large bowl and place the bowl with egg-
sugar mixture over it.
· Continue to whisk the eggs until it becomes almost white with a
tinge of light yellow.
· Pour the milk-honey mixture to the whisked egg and stir well to
mix thoroughly.
· Add the dry mixture to the batter gradually while stirring
continuously and mix them into a uniform mixture with minimum
lumps.
· Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake it in the oven at the
preheated temperature for about 10 minutes.
· Now lower the temperature to 280 F and continue to bake for
another 40 minutes.
· Check the doneness of the cake by inserting a fork or skewer into
it; if it comes out clean, then your cake is ready.
· Invert the pan onto a flat platter and remove the kasutera from the
pan.
· Strip off the kasutera and set aside to cool.
· Cut it into medium-thick slices and serve.
Chef’s Tip: The secret to best kasutera is the thoroughly beaten eggs. If you
can’t figure out when to stop, then here is a simple trick. As the egg begins to
turn white, draw a letter on it and see how long it takes to sink down. If it takes
few moments to do that, then it’s the indication that you have perfect whisked
eggs for the kasutera.

MATCHA KASUTERA

ANMITSU
A popular dessert consisting of assorted fruits and kanten jelly, smothered with
syrup as well as sweet bean paste.
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
· Fruit slices, apples, oranges, peaches or any of your favourite
fruits.
· 1/3 cup sweet red bean paste (refer the recipe for moon cake)
For the kanten jelly:
· 2 tbsp sugar
· ½ stick agar agar (kanten)
· 1 2/3 cup water
For the syrup:
· 1 tbsp lemon juice
· 2/3 cup sugar
· ¼ cup water
Method:
· Soak the stick of agar agar in water for 1 hour or until it softens.
· Squeeze out any excess water from the agar agar or kanten stick
and roughly cut into small chunks.
· Drop them into a pan containing 1 2/3 cup water and heat over
medium heat until it starts boiling.
· Lower the heat and simmer while stirring at times, until the kanten
melts.
· Stir in sugar and pour the mixture into a flat vessel; set it aside to
cool until it turns firm.
· Now make the syrup by adding sugar to ¼ cup of water and
heating the mixture until the sugar dissolves.
· Add a splash of lemon juice to the syrup, stir and allow to cool.
· Once the kanten jelly is set, slice it into small cubes and divide it
into 4 serving bowls.
· Add the fruit slices to the bowl and spoon in the syrup over them.
· Finish it off with the red bean paste and serve.
Chef’s Tip: You can try out several variations of anmitsu by serving it without
the bean paste (mitsumame) or adding a scoop of ice cream on top (cream
anmitsu).

ANMITSU

KOREAN DESSERTS
Korean cuisine has exotic flavours and Korean dessert is no such exception.
They are sweet with well-balanced flavours and often come with low fat content
and moderate amount of calories. This makes Korean sweet delicacies perfect
for health-conscious people who keep themselves away from the sweet pleasures
for fear of piling on fat.
If you take a look at the ingredients used in making Korean desserts, you will
realise the dominance of glutinous rice as the prime base for the sweet
delicacies. Whether it is cooked as rice cake or rolled into small stuffed balls or
dumplings, savouring Korean sticky rice confections are truly a divine
experience. Tteok, or the traditional Korean rice cake is one such jewel from the
treasure house of Korean cuisine, which has pleased the natives since two
millennia ago and a regular in Korean festivals and auspicious occasions. The
charm of these rice cakes lies in its simplicity. These steamed cakes don’t feature
elaborate ingredients and primarily claims its yummy flavours from simple
fillings or toppings like red bean or mung bean paste, raisins or any sort of
sweetened fillings. And in case you come across a fried rice cake, call it by the
name of gangjeong.
Apart from the tteok, hangwa also occupies an important place among the
plethora of Korean sweet confections. There are so many hangwa there to
choose from, such as, suksilgwa, yumilgwa or fried confections, sweet sticky
candies or yeot made from rice, sweet potatoes, corn or mixed grains, fruity
jellos or jungwa and dasik or tea snacks. And if you are looking for some relief
on hot summer days, go for the shaved ice desserts, topped with fresh fruits,
syrup and red beans.
So nurture your love for oriental sweets with Korean desserts and savour its
sugary goodness.

PATBINGSHU
A great dessert treat of shaved ice, topped with fruits and red bean paste, to cool
you on a hot and sultry summer.
Serves:
· ½ cup assorted fresh fruit cubes (strawberries, peaces, pineapples,
mango, kiwi or any fruit which your heart desires)
· 2 cups ice
· ¼ cup packaged sweet rice cake (available in any Asian grocery
market or shop), diced
· 1/3 cup sweet red bean paste (refer to recipe for mooncake)
· ¼ cup condensed milk
Method:
· Crush the ice in an ice grinder or mixer and transfer it to a serving
bowl.
· Top it up with condensed milk, followed by a dollop of sweet red
bean paste.
· Spread the fruits over the paste and finish it off with the rice cake
dices.
· Serve chilled.
Chef’s Tip: There are several ways to enjoy patbingsu. You can give a nutty
twist to the basic patbingsu by topping it with misutgaru powder (grounded
roasted grain) or top it up with a scoop or two of green tea ice cream.
PATBINGSHU

DASIK
These authentic pressed cookies display the perfect harmony of sweet honey
flavour with fried grain flour.
Makes: 8 cookies Ingredients: For the strawberry liquid:
· 1 tsp strawberry powder
· ½ tbsp water
For the green coloured variant:
· 1 tbsp honey
· 1 ½ tbsp green bean flour
For the pine pollen variant:
· 1tbsp pine pollen
· 1 tbsp honey
For the yellow coloured variety:
· 1 ½ tbsp yellow bean flour
· 1 tbsp honey
For the black variety:
· 3 ½ tsp honey
· 2 tbsp black sesame powder
For the mung bean variety:
· 2 tbsp mung bean starch
· 1 tbsp honey
Method:
· Pour corresponding amount of honey to each of the pine pollen,
sesame powder as well as the remaining grain flours and combine into
an even mixture.
· Stir in the strawberry powder to a mixture of oil in water and pour
the liquid to the mung bean starch.
· Grease a press mold with oil and place small portions of each type
of dough into it.
· Press firmly and arrange the cookies on a plate.
· Serve them with tea or team it with your favourite creamy dessert.
DASIK

TTEOK WITH DAECHU AND BLACK BEANS
Steamed sticky yet crumbly rice cake studded with black beans and flavoured
with the delightful sweetness of Chinese dates.
Makes: 1 round cake Ingredients:
· 2.5 cups glutinous rice flour
· 2/3 cup black beans, soaked in water overnight
· 10 dried Chinese dates or daechu, pitted and thinly sliced
· ½ cup water
· 1 tsp sea salt
· 2 tbsp raw cane sugar
Method:
· Add the soaked black beans to a pot full of water and heat it until
the water starts boiling.
· Reduce the flame and simmer for about half an hour; drain and
toss with sugar.
· Meanwhile, cut a paper into a round shape, with the same diameter
as that of your bamboo steamer and cut few random slits on it to allow
the steam to pass.
· Place the paper within the base of the steamer and grease its sides
as well as the bottom with a lashing vegetable oil.
· Sieve a mixture of flour and salt into a large bowl, sprinkle some
water over it and stir it again.
· Sieve the moistened flour-salt mix again and stir in the sliced dates
as well as beans.
· Toss well to mix and transfer the mixture to the bamboo steamer.
· Flatten the surface with your palm and place the steamer into a
larger vessel partially filled with water.
· Put the larger vessel over heat and wait until the water begins to
boil.
· Now, start the countdown and steam the cake for about 15
minutes.
· Remove from heat and let it aside for about 5 minutes.
· Place a flat plate on top of the bamboo steamer and invert to
demold the cake.
· Strip the paper off the cake and slice before serving
Chef’s Tip: You can give a savoury touch to the steamed rice cake by dipping it
in egg wash and deep frying it until it turns crispy golden brown. Pair this pan-
fried tteok with kimchi and turn a dessert into a delectable appetizer.
TTEOK

GYEONG DAN
Sweet rice balls stuffed with gooey red bean paste and smothered with nutty
flavours of toasted sesame seeds.
Ingredients:
· 1 cup glutinous rice flour
· ½ cup boiling water
· Pinch of salt
For the coating:
· 1 tbsp green tea powder
· Handful of white and black sesame seeds, toasted
For the stuffing:
· 1 cup red bean paste
Method:
· Combine the flour as well as salt together and pour 1 tbsp of water
to it at intervals, while stirring continuously, until the entire water is
incorporated into the mixture.
· Knead the mixture into smooth, pliable dough and split it into 16
balls.
· Heat 8 cups of water in a large pot until it starts boiling and fill a
large bowl with ice water at the same time.
· Meanwhile, flatten each rice ball with your palm and spoon in a
small portion of the red bean paste in the middle.
· Wrap the edges of the flattened rice ball around the filling and roll
into a round ball.
· Make the remaining rice balls in a similar manner and drop them
in batches into the boiling water.
· Boil them until they drift on the water surface and transfer them to
the ice water to halt the cooking process.
· Spread the toasted sesame seeds and green tea powder, separately,
on two separate flat plates.
· Roll the balls over the green tea powder, followed by sesame seeds
and arrange them onto a plate.
· Serve right away or they taste equally well after chilling.
GYEONG DAN

SUJEONGGWA
A sweet and spicy persimmon punch often savoured by Koreans as dessert after
a heavy meal.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
· 4 dried persimmon, stems removed
· 6 cinnamon sticks, rinsed
· ½ cup fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
· 8 cups water
· 1 cup sugar
· Handful of pine nuts
Method:
· Empty the cups of water into a large pot and add the cinnamon as
well as ginger to it.
· Bring the spiced water to a boil, place a lid on top and simmer it
for an hour over slow flame.
· Do away with the cinnamon as well as ginger and stir in the sugar
until it dissolves.
· Sieve the liquid through a wire mesh and drop in the persimmons
to the strained liquid.
· Allow to cool to room temperature and leave it in the refrigerator
for a couple of hours.
· Fill four cups with this fruity punch and top it up with pine nuts.
· Serve chilled.
SUJEONGGWA

INDIAN DESSERTS
Indian cuisine is famous for the predominance of spicy curries and kababs, but
few are aware of the wonderful desserts savoured by Indians. People of India are
born with a sweet tooth! And given the wide range of desserts which Indian
cuisine has to offer, they really can’t be blamed. And if you think that Indian
desserts are only made of milk or dairy products, and fruits, then you are
completely at a loss! Indians can make a dessert out of legumes or grains too and
they have the potential to knock out even the most famous dessert when it comes
to flavours.
Being a country with diverse cultures and religions, every region or community
have their own set of desserts with distinctive flavours, ingredients and cooking
techniques. North Indian sweets are rich and creamy, soaked in ghee or clarified
butter and often coated or stuffed with nuts and dried fruits. Every bite of nut-
based sweets like barfi and chikki, sweetened coils or jalebi and sweet
dumplings of gulab jamun is a blissful experience and has the potential to give
ultimate satisfaction to your mind and soul.
Milk-based sweets are a rage in the Eastern part of India. Sweetmeat like
rasgulla, soaked in sugar syrup, deep-fried sweet pancakes or malpua, and
sandesh made out of sweetened cottage cheese are some of the notable sweets of
Eastern India.
Coconut, milk, lentils and jaggery are the most common ingredients found in
South Indian sweets. The Indian rice pudding or payasam is one of the most
popular of all desserts and is often served on ceremonies and festivals. Halwa,
mysore pak, jangri and palkova are some of the desserts of South India which
are worth trying at least once in a life time.
No matter which Indian dessert you try, they are never without spices, just like
most Indian food, thus nurturing your sweet cravings and love for spices at the
same time. So get ready to explore Indian desserts now!

KHEER OR PAYASAM
Rice pudding with the piquant goodness of exotic Indian spices Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
· 4 cups milk
· ¼ cup rice, rinsed and drained
· 1 tsp butter
· ¼ cup sugar
· 1 tbsp pistachios, slivered
· 2 tbsp almonds, slivered
· Pinch of crushed green cardamom seeds
· 6 saffron strands
Method:
· Add butter to a frying pan and wait until it melts.
· Stir in the rice and cook for a couple of minutes before pouring in
the milk.
· Continue to cook until the rice softens and the milk reaches a
creamy consistency; don’t forget to stir it frequently to prevent the
milk from burning
· Once the volume is reduced to half, stir in the sugar, nuts as well
as spices and simmer briefly for another couple of minutes or so.
· Remove from heat and let it cool so that it becomes thicker.
· Serve warm or chilled – both taste equally blissful.
Chef’s Tip: Replacing rice with Vermicelli offers a nice change of flavours
without compromising with the authenticity of the dish.
PAYESH

MODAK
These sweet dumplings, stuffed with a cooked mixture of jaggery and coconut, is
believed to be the favourite food of Lord Ganesha.
Ingredients:
· 3 ½ cup all purpose flour
· Salt to taste
· 3 tbsp oil
For the stuffing:
· 2 ½ cups grated coconut
· 1 ½ tbsp sesame
· 2 ½ cups jaggery
· 1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
Method:
· Add salt and oil to the flour and knead it into a soft, pliable dough
· Melt ghee in a pan and add the remaining ingredients of the
stuffing to it.
· Cook them over medium heat, while stirring constantly, until the
jaggery melts and a sticky mixture is obtained; set it aside for half an
hour to cool.
· Meanwhile, pinch out small balls from the dough and flatten them
into small circles, each about 4 inch in diameter.
· Place a tbsp of the sticky stuffing at the centre of each circle and
wrap it up into a cone shaped dumpling; make the rest of the modaks
in similar fashion.
· Heat some oil in a deep-bottomed wok and deep fry the dumplings
in batches, until they turn golden brown.
· Serve hot or cold.
Chef’s Tip: Modaks taste equally delightful when steamed. However, if you
would like it to be steamed, the all purpose flour used should be replaced by rice
flour, which is cooked in clarified water, along with ½ cp water until it reaches a
semi-sticky consistency. The rest of the process should remained the same as
above.
MODAK

MYSORE PAK
Delicious squares of sweetened gram flour with the mesmerising aroma of ghee.
Makes: 12-14 pieces Ingredients:
· 1 cup yellow gram flour
· 1 cup melted clarified butter or ghee
· 5 tbsp + ½ cup peanut oil
· ¾ cup water
· 1 cup sugar
Method:
· Heat 5 tbsp peanut oil in a pan until it gives out smokes and stir in
the gram flour.
· Stir fry the flour for about 5-10 minutes or until it is evenly coated
with oil and becomes crumbly in texture.
· Heat a mixture of the remaining oil and ghee in a separate pan
until it becomes smoking hot; reduce heat and leave the oil to sizzle
for some time.
· Stir in sugar in ¾ cup water, in a heavy bottomed pot and cook
over moderate heat for about 5-8 minutes until the sugar dissolves and
reaches the desired consistency.
· Reduce the flame to low and stir in the cooked gram flour, while
stirring continuously.
· Mix the gram flour thoroughly with the sugar syrup, so that the
mixture is free of lumps.
· Now pour in the simmering mixture of oil and ghee in a
continuous stream while stirring the mixture with the other hand.
· Once the mixture turns frothy, spread it out on a pre-greased tray
for flat plate and smoothen the surface with a spatula.
· Set it aside for 10 minutes to cool and cut into small squares.
· Cool them further and serve.
Chef’s Tip: Make a point to use fresh ingredients to make this recipe and steer
clear of cooking it in high heat, otherwise your dish will be ruined.
MYSORE PAK

SHAHI TUKDA
This dessert made of deep-fried bread pieces bathed in spiced-up milk is a royal
indulgence for the taste buds Serves: 4-5
Ingredients:
· 6 bread slices
· 1 cup fresh cream milk
· 2 tbsp clarified butter or ghee
· ¼ cup water
· ¼ cup sugar
· 4-5 almonds, toasted and slivered
· 2 tbsp pistachios, blanched and chopped
· 1 tsp green cardamom powder
· 4-6 saffron strands
Method:
· Cut off the brown edges of each sliced bread and slice it diagonally
into two halves; set aside.
· Stir sugar into a pan of water and heat the mixture until it begins to
boil.
· Lower the heat and continue to simmer the sugar syrup for about
10 minutes.
· Add a dash of cardamom powder to the sugar syrup, give it a stir
or two and set aside.
· Bring the milk to boil, in a pan, and then simmer further over
lower heat, until it reduces to ¼ of its original volume. Make a point to
stir the milk at times to prevent it from burning.
· Stir in the saffron as well pistachios and remove from heat.
· Melt the clarified butter in a separate pan and deep-fry the bread
triangles until they turn crispy golden brown.
· Place the fried breads in a serving platter and smother it with the
sugar syrup.
· Set it aside for few minute, until the bread soaks in the sweetness
and then top it up with the thickened milk.
· Finish the dessert with a topping of almonds and refrigerate it for
an hour.
· Serve chilled.
Chef’s Tip: You can heighten up its level of extravagance by sandwiching an
apricot slice or mascarpone cream between the fried bread slices before soaking
them in milk.
SHAHI TUKDA

SHRIKHAND
A simple yet mouth-watering dessert made of Greek yogurt which boasts of the
lavish flavours of saffron and other Indian spices.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
· 2 lb plain yogurt
· 1 tbsp warm milk
· ¾ cup powdered sugar
· 2 tsp cardamom powder
· 6 saffron strands
· Handful of almond slivers
Method:
· Wrap the yogurt in a muslin cloth, tie the free ends into a knot and
hang it in a cool place, for a couple of hours or until the whey drains
off.
· Stir the saffron into warm milk and set aside.
· Once the yogurt is strained, transfer it to a blender and churn it
along with the rest of the ingredients except almonds.
· Spoon in the mixture to serving bowls and top it up with slivered
almonds.
· Serve chilled.
Chef’s Tip: Add fruity flavours to shrikhand by replacing the spices with a cup
of sliced strawberries or any of your favourite fruit. But remember to adjust the
sweetness accordingly.
SHRIKHAND

SRI LANKAN DESSERTS
Sri Lankan cuisine has borrowed a lot of culinary elements from Arab, colonial
and Indians, owing to colonization of different communities for centuries. Thus
a bite of Sri Lankan food might give you a hint of Middle Eastern flavours or
carry a strong Indian essence.
In fact, due to its close geographical proximity, India, its southern states have a
lot of influence on Sri Lankan culture as well as its food. Thus South Indian and
Sri Lankan food has a lot in common, be it the ingredients, cooking techniques
or flavours. Sri Lankan desserts are not an exception and thus South Indian
ingredients such as coconut and its milk, jaggery and Indian spices dominates
their sweet delicacies. While coconut or rice often makes the base of the sweet
dish, it receives its share of sweetness from indigenous sweeteners like jaggery
and treacle made from palm, kithul (Caryota urens), coconut, Palmyra etc. And
you simply can’t miss out the warm zest of the spices which mingles with the
sugary flavours of the Sinhalese delicacies to create culinary magic.
In Sri Lanka, serving desserts and sweet delicacies seldom remain restricted to
the end of the meal. Rather, sweet curd and sweetmeats like wattalapam, halape,
kokis and thalaguli are also savoured as tea time snack as well and served during
their auspicious celebrations. Special sweets like milk rice and those made out of
flour, coconut milk and honey are a regular in cultural fiestas.
And now is the time for some sweet Sri Lankan treat.

DODOL
These sweet coconut-flavoured toffees are a rage during Sri Lankan New Year
fiesta.
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients:
· 8 oz rice flour, sieved
· 8 fl oz thick coconut milk
· 7.5 oz jaggery, grated
· ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
· 6 tbsp cashew nuts, chopped
· Salt to taste
Method:
· Add the cinnamon and a pinch of salt to the flour and blend them
together into a uniform mixture.
· Spread the grated jaggery over it and pour the coconut milk in a
continuous stream, while stirring continuously, until the entire milk is
incorporated into the mixture.
· Transfer the mixture to a pan and cook it over moderate heat,
while stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens.
· Stir in the cashew nuts and spoon the mixture into a flat, pre-
greased plate.
· Level the surface and set aside to cool.
· Once cooled, slice it into diamond-shaped blocks and serve.
DODOL

BIBIKKAN
A Sri Lankan spicy cake made of coconut flavour with crunchy goodness of
cashews.
Makes: 1 cake Ingredients:
· ½ cup wheat flour
· 4 cups scrapped coconut
· 1 ½ cups semolina
· 3 cups sugar
· 1 tbsp vanilla extract
· 1 tsp fennel seeds
· Seeds of 8 cardamom pods
· 4 tbsp ginger, chopped
· 1 tbsp lemon zest, grated
· 1 cup winter melon preserves
· 1 cup raisins
· 1 cup cashew nuts
· 1 cup dates, cut into smaller chunks
· 1 tsp rose water
· Salt to taste
· Water, as needed
Method:
· Preheat oven to 300 F.
· Roast the fennel seeds and green cardamom seeds in a heated
sauce pan for about 5 minutes; keep a watch so that they don’t burn.
· Add to a mortar and crush them into coarse powder.
· Roast the ginger and lemon zest in the same pan briefly and set
aside.
· Heat a separate pan over moderate heat and add the sugar.
· Pour in water and keep stirring the mixture until the sugar
dissolves and the syrup thickens.
· Remove the syrup from heat and stir in the coconut.
· Add the dates, semolina and cashew nuts to this sweet coconut
mixture and mix thoroughly.
· Add the flour in batches, while stirring continuously to form a
smooth batter, free of lumps.
· Add the vanilla extract as well as a splash of rose water and blend
them into the batter.
· In case, the mixture becomes too stiff, add a little boiling water
and stir well until you get a softer batter.
· Pour the batter into a pre-greased baking pan and bake them in the
oven at preheated temperature for an hour or until it becomes dark
brown in colour.
· Allow the cake to cool and then cut into thick slices.
Chef’s Tip: While making the sugar syrup, if it tends to become too hard and
sticky, stir in some boiling water to get the desired consistency.
BIBIKAN

KAVUM
Spiced cake made of rice and coconut milk.
Ingredients:
· 3 cups raw rice
· 13.5 oz (1 can) coconut milk
· 1 cup brown sugar
· 1 tbsp all purpose flour
· 1 cup water
· 2 tsp vanilla extract
· 2 green cardamom pods, seeded
· Salt to taste
· Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Method:
· Stir in all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl (except vegetable
oil) and keep it aside for half an hour.
· Transfer the mixture into a grinder and pulse into a smooth batter
with a consistency like that of a pancake; let it rest for about 15
minutes.
· Pour oil in a wok until it is 2 ‘’ deep and heat it over moderately
high heat.
· Pour a tbsp of batter into the oil and fry the cake until it turns light
brown in colour.
· Check the doneness of the oil cake and if some of the batter starts
oozing out of the cake, then fry the cake further until it is golden
brown.
· Transfer it to a plate lined with paper towel and fry the other oil
cakes in similar fashion.
· Serve hot and enjoy.
Chef’s Tip: In case the batter turns out too thin, stir in a little amount of all –
purpose flour to reach the perfect consistency.
KAVUM

PANI WALALU
Deep-fried coils of a mixture of black gram and rice flour, soaked in sugar syrup.
Ingredients:
· 2 cups black grams, rinsed, skinned and soaked overnight
· 2.5 cups coconut milk
· 1 cup rice flour
· 3 cups black treacle
· 1 cup water
· 1 tsp salt
· Oil, for deep frying
Method:
· Cut a tiny circular hole, about ½ cm wide, in a clean muslin cloth
and stitch its margins.
· Drain the soaked lentils and pulse them into a smooth paste, in a
blender.
· Stir in the rice flour in batches and empty the cup of milk into it.
· Season with salt and stir them together into a batter with the
consistency of a mashed potato.
· Pour oil in a pan and heat it over medium flame.
· Spoon the batter into the prepared muslin cloth and squeeze the
batter out into the oil through the hole or nozzle to make circular coils.
· Fry them in batches until they become golden brown and transfer
to a plate lined with paper towel.
· Add the treacle to a separate pan and heat until it starts bubbling;
avoid overheating.
· Once the deep-fried oils are ready, dip them into the hot treacle
and leave them in it for a few minutes.
· Strain out the coils and serve.
Chef’s Tip: Pani walalu can be stored for a whole week when stored in a
container filled with treacle
PANI WALALU

WATTALAPAM
A Sri-Lankan cake on crème-brulee using coconut as base.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
· ½ cup coconut cream
· 2 tsp jaggery, grated
· 6 cashews, roasted and halved
· 2 eggs
· Dash of ground green cardamom
Method:
· Warm the coconut cream and drop in the jaggery, stir until the
latter dissolves.
· Whisk the eggs and pour it into the sweetened coconut cream
along with a dash of ground cardamom.
· Stir them all together and spoon the mixture into two ramekins.
· Place the cashews on top and cook the pudding in a water bath for
about half an hour at 175 C.
· Once the pudding becomes firmer, remove the ramekins from the
water bath and invert each of them onto a serving plate.
· Serve, share and have fun!
Chef’s Tip: Don’t overcook the wattalapam to avoid bubbles in it.
WATTALAPAM

IRAQI DESSERTS
The flavour of Middle Eastern desserts feature special attributes which sets them
apart from all other cuisines and being a part of Middle East, Iraq is not an
exception.
When it comes to prime ingredients, fruits, nuts, grains and spices, which are
cultivated in this portion of the world since centuries ago, tops the list. Besides
these dry elements, yogurt, milk and cheese of cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk
often make their way into the Iraqi desserts. When it comes to sweeteners, fruits
and honey were traditionally used, though they gave way to sugar in modern
times to sweeten up their delicious sweet delicacies.
Just like western desserts, Iraqi desserts also flaunt a galore of sweet dishes like
pastries, custards, puddings, cookies and candies - each of them drenched in rich
Middle Eastern flavours. Iraqi custards and puddings are usually made of grains
like pasta and rice, cooked or doused in milk. Use of rose water and spices turn
these desserts into an aromatic affair while honey and fruits accentuate its wow
factor. Iraqi cookies are commonly packed with nutty flavours, owing to the use
of almonds, pistachios, walnuts etc in them. They frequently get the company of
dried fruits to up its yum quotient to a higher level. If you are not much into
milky or crunchy desserts, then try out the sweet bread products of Iraqi cuisine.
Cakes and doughnuts with piquant punch of spices and the tang of citrus fruits,
and complete with a nutty undertone, will definitely make a food-lover drool.
So make an Iraqi dessert today and surprise others as well as yourself with its
rich and sometimes overtly sweet flavours.

BAKLAWA
A crisp, layered pastry stuffed with rich, gooey filling of nuts and smothered in
sweet goodness of honey or sugar syrup.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
· 16 oz frozen phyllo dough, thawed
· 4 + ½ cup sugar
· 2 tsp rose water
· 1lb butter
· ½ tsp lemon juice
· 2 cups water
· 2 ½ cup assorted nuts (walnuts, pistachios, almonds)
· 1 tsp cinnamon powder
Method:
· To make the sugar syrup, empty 4 cups of sugar into a saucepan
with 2 cups water and add a splash of lemon juice to it.
· Heat the mixture until it starts boiling and let it do so for the next
10 minutes.
· Stir in the rose water and turn off the heat immediately; set aside to
cool.
· Meanwhile, toss the nuts and remaining sugar in bowl along with a
dash of cinnamon powder.
· Warm up your oven to 300 F
· Spread out the dough and slice it into several pieces in such a way
that they fit perfectly into the baking dish.
· Grease the baking dish with butter and spread out a couple of
phyllo sheets across its bottom.
· Brush some softened butter over it and continue with the layers
until half of the dough is utilised.
· Top it up with a cup of nut filling and spread them throughout the
surface.
· Cover it with 2 more phyllo sheets and grease the surface with
butter.
· Repeat the layers until the entire filling is used and spread the final
phyllo sheet over it; brush some butter on its surface again.
· Slice the pastry into small triangles and bake them in the oven for
an hour or until they turn golden brown.
· Remove from oven and spoon the sugar syrup over it.
· Set it aside for half an hour or until it soaks in the sweetness.
· Serve and relish its amazing flavours.

BAKLAWA

QATAYEF
This is Iraq’s answer to French crepes and always stuffed with nut-cheese filling
to stay true to its Asian roots.
Serves: 10
For the pancake:
· 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, sifted
· 2 ¼ tsp active, dry yeast
· Dash of salt
· 1 ½ cups warm water
For the filling:
· ½ cup walnuts, chopped
· ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
· 1 tsp cinnamon
· 4 tbsp sugar
To finish:
· 1/3 cup clarified butter or ghee
· 1 ½ cup sugar syrup (refer to baklava for its recipe)
Method:
· Toss the yeast and sugar together and stir the mixture into ¼ cup
water until it dissolves.
· Pour the yeast mixture as well as the remaining water into the bowl
of flour, along with a pinch of salt and stir the mixture into a smooth
batter.
· Wrap the surface of the bowl with a cloth and set aside for 1 hour
to let the batter rise.
· Drizzle some oil on a frying pan and heat it over medium flame.
· Meanwhile, whisk the batter briskly and pour 1 ½ tbsp of batter to
make each pancake.
· Spread it into a 4’’ wide circle and cook the pancake until bubbles
appear on its surface.
· Transfer it to a plate and cook the remaining pancakes in a similar
fashion.
· Toss the ingredients of the filling together in a mixing bowl.
· Place a 1tbsp filling in the middle of each pancake and fold it in
half; pinch the edges to seal.
· Make the rest of qatayefs similarly and arrange them on a baking
dish.
· Grease them with melted ghee and bake them in the oven at 350 F
for about 15 minutes.
· Remove from oven and transfer the stuffed pancakes immediately
to a bowl of sugar syrup.
· Dish them up in a serving plate and serve right away.
Chef’s Tip: Swap the sweet filling with meat stuffing and give a savoury
makeover to this popular Iraqi dessert.
QATAYEF

KLEICHA
The national cookie of the country, filled with a yummy filling of dates.
Makes: 30 cookies Ingredients:
· 3 cups all purpose flour
· 8 oz dates, pitted and chopped
· ½ cup caster sugar
· 8 oz unsalted butter, softened
· 2 tbsp regular butter
· ¼ cup water
· 3 tsp rose water
Method:
· Warm up your oven to 170 C.
· Sift a mixture of sugar in flour together into a large mixing bowl.
· Stir in the unsalted butter along with a splash of rose water and
knead the mixture into smooth and pliable dough; set it aside for half
an hour.
· Melt the regular butter in a pan and saute the chopped dates until
they soften.
· Pinch out small portions of the dough and roll them into small
balls.
· Poke a well in the middle and stuff it with the date filling.
· Seal the edges around it and roll it back into a round ball.
· Arrange the cookies in a pre-greased baking dish and bake for half
an hour or so.
· Allow to cool and serve.
Chef’s Tip: In case you have a craving for kleicha yet your kitchen has run out
of dates, don’t be disheartened. This Iraqi cookie, stuffed with peanut butter taste
equally drool-worthy.
KLEICHA

KANAFEH
Classic Arabic cheese pastry drenched in sugar syrup.
Makes: One 10’’ wide cake Ingredients: For the dough:
· 1 package kataifi dough
· 1 cup butter, melted
For the filling:
· 3 ½ cup ricotta cheese
For the sugar syrup:
· 1 cup water
For the topping:
· 5 tbsp walnuts, chopped
· ¼ cup almonds, blanched and chopped
· ¼ cup pistachios, blanched and chopped
Method:
· Add all the ingredients of the syrup to a sauce pan, stir and bring
the mixture to a boil.
· Reduce heat and simmer further for about 15 minutes; set it aside
for some time until it cools and stir in the rose water.
· Warm up your oven to 350 F.
· Break and tear the kataifi dough, with your hand, into smaller
shreds and toss it along with melted butter.
· Rub some butter all over the bottom of a baking pan and spread
half of the dough shreds on it.
· Press it with your hands firmly, leaving 1 cm of space around the
rim.
· Top it up with cheese and then spread the rest of the dough above
the filling, pressing it similarly like the first layer.
· Bake the kanafeh for about half an hour in preheated temperature.
· Once the surface becomes golden brown in colour, take it out of
the oven and smother with sugar syrup while the kanafeh is still hot.
· Set aside to cool to room temperature and garnish with the nuts.
· Cut the kanafeh into small squares and serve.
Chef’s Tip: Kanafeh dough is easily available in Middle Eastern grocery shops.
In case, you couldn’t manage to get hold of one, angel hair noodles or vermicelli
can serve the purpose without degrading the authentic flavours.
KANAFEH

PISTACHIO HALVA
Sweet, nutty bricks of fudge-like confection made of tahini paste and pistachios.
Makes: 1 medium-sized block Ingredients:
· 1 cup sesame seeds, toasted
· 2 tbsp pistachios
· 2 tbsp raisins
· 1 tsp rose water
· 2 tbsp raw honey
· 3 tbsp sugar
Method:
· Add sesame seeds to a mortar and grind into a fine powder.
· Add the sugar and continue to grind the mixture until the sugar is
powdered.
· Stir in the remaining ingredients and blend them into a thick and
stiff batter.
· Line a loaf pan with wax paper and pour the batter into it.
· Spread the batter throughout the pan and level the surface with a
spatula.
· Leave it in the refrigerator for an hour or until it sets.
· Lift the wax paper to take the halva out of the pan and peel it off
from the confection.
· Slice the halva into thick strips and serve.
Chef’s Tip: Apart from nuts and sesame seeds, beans, lentils, pumpkins,
squashes and carrots can be also used to treat your taste buds with new flavours
of halva.
PISTACHIO HALVA

FILIPINO DESSERTS
Filipino food, i.e., cuisine of Philippines is diverse, owing to its rich history of
foreign visitors and traders. Apart from being influenced by its neighbours like
Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, Filipino cuisine have also ripped out elements
like spices from Spanish food and cooking techniques from China. Fragments of
Latin, Middle Eastern, Japanese and American influence can be witnessed in
their dishes as well. Thus every slice of Filipino food bears the essence of the
blend of varied culture and flavours.
Being a tropical Oriental land, the Filipinos have a special corner for rice. Thus,
steamed rice cakes like puto and bibingka, rice sweets with coconut flavours or
biko and sapin sapin (tri-coloured sweet) and rice patties or palitaw are some of
the most-cherished delicacies in the country. Coconut is their second love and
thus is makes its way to the desserts either as a filling or as the prime base.
Apart from cakes and pastries, Filipino desserts have got a wide range of
summery cold dessert in store for us. Most of them usually comprise of shaved
ice, topped with sugar syrup, coconut milk or cream, red beans, mashed purple
yam and fruits like jackfruit, bananas, oranges, pomegranates and berries. And
how can any mortal being ignore the charm of ice cream, more popularly known
as sorbetes among Filipinos. Most of them are made from coconut milk and
sport fruity as well as unusual flavours like that of cheese and Pandanus leaves.
However, some sweet dishes like leche flan (caramel custard), meringues and
ensaymada (sugary pastries) are influenced by the western world.
Filipinos have a penchant for pairing two opposite flavours, like sweet and salty,
to create an unexpected yet delicious combination. Thus sweet rice porridge is
often served with salty, undried fish and savoury pig blood stew is enjoyed with
sweet rice cakes. All these features make Filipino dishes worthy of hearty praise.

MAJA BLANCA
A sweet, creamy dessert made of cornstarch, coconut milk and sugar and perfect
for holidays and celebrations.
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
· 4 cups coconut milk
· ¾ cup milk
· 14 oz condensed milk
· 5 tbsp grated coconut, toasted
· ¾ cup corn starch
· 15 oz whole sweet kernel corn
· ¾ cup sugar
Method:
· Heat coconut milk in a large saucepan until it begins to boil.
· Stir in the sugar as well as sweet corn, along with the condensed
milk and simmer for about 10 minutes.
· Add cornstarch to the milk and whisk them together into a smooth
mixture, free of lumps.
· Pour it into the simmering mixture, while stirring constantly and
continue to cook until it reaches the consistency of custard.
· Transfer the mixture to a serving tray and level out its surface with
a spatula.
· Lei it set in the refrigerator for an hour or more (if you are not in
hurry).
· Top it up with grated coconut and serve cold.
Chef’s Tip: Though the traditional dessert is garnished with grated coconut, but
you can spice it up with a dash of cinnamon on top or make it more sinful with a
topping of cocoa powder.
MAJA BLANCA

YEMA
Luscious custard candy made from condensed milk and egg yolks – an instant
hit among children and grown-ups alike.
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients:
· 3 egg yolks
· 3tbsp unsalted butter
· 3 tbsp peanuts, finely chopped
Method:
· Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
· Empty the can of condensed milk into the saucepan and cook for a
couple of minutes or so, while stirring frequently.
· Whisk in the egg yolks and continue to simmer for another 2
minutes without failing to stir.
· Stir in the peanut chunks and heat the mixture for the nest 20
minutes or until it turns thick. As soon as the mixture nearly reaches
the desired consistency, reduce the heat to low.
· Remove from heat and set it aside to cool.
· As soon as the mixture reaches room temperature, take a spoonful
on your palm and roll it into a small ball. Make the remaining candies
in similar fashion.
· Place each of the candies in a small cup and arrange them on a
plate.
· Serve and have fun!
YEMA

UBE HALAYA
A gorgeous looking jam-like dessert made of purple yam or ‘ube’
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
· 1 lb purple yam, boiled, grated or mashed
· ¼ cup butter
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
· Melt butter in a sauce pan and stir in the condensed milk.
· Heat the mixture briefly before adding the grated or mashed purple
yam and stir well to incorporate into the milk.
· Stir in the vanilla extract and simmer the mixture over slow flame,
for about 15-20 minutes or until it thickens appreciably.
· Spoon the mixture into a mold and allow it cool to room
temperature.
· Let it set in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and serve cold.
Chef’s Tip: Apart from savouring it just like that, ube halaya can also make great
fillings for pies and tarts.
UBE HALAYA
BIKO
A simple, yet lip-smacking rice cake with a twist of coconut flavour Serves: 6
Ingredients:
· 2 cups sticky rice
· 2 cups brown sugar
· 1 ½ cup water
· ½ tsp salt
Method:
· Empty a couple of cups of sticky rice into a rice cooker and pour
water over it.
· Cook until the rice is partially cooked.
· While the rice cooks, whisk the brown sugar into the coconut milk,
until the former melts, and season with a dash of salt.
· Cook the mixture in a separate pan over slow flame, while stirring
continuously, until the mixture thickens.
· Once the rice is done, stir it into the simmering coconut milk-sugar
mixture and continue to cook until the liquid ebbs away.
· Scoop Biko into serving plates and level out its surface with the
flat end of a spatula.
· Serve and try out rice cake in true Filipino style.
Chef’s Tip: This dessert can double its duty as a mid-afternoon snack whenever
you feel hungry or crave for some sweet pleasures.
BIKO
BUKO PANDAN
A rich and creamy dessert with unique flavour of screwpine leaves or ‘pandan’
which in combination with the coconut and gelatine jelly, gives rise to a blissful
gastronomic indulgence.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
· 8 oz all purpose cream
· 1 ½ cup young coconut strips (buko)
· 6 drops buko pandan flavouring (best alternative in case screwpine
leaves are not available)
· 1 ¼ cup water
· 3 oz gelatine, powdered
· ½ cup tapioca pearls, cooked (optional)
Method:
· Stir the gelatine into a bowl of water and add drops of artificial
flavouring into it.
· Give it a nice stir to mix well and empty it into a saucepan.
· Heat the mixture until it begins to boil, while stirring constantly.
· Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a mold; set aside to
cool so that it turns firmer.
· Whisk the table cream and condensed milk together, along with
coconut strips as well as tapioca pearls and chill the mixture in the
freezer until it turns thick.
· Meanwhile, when the gelatine jelly sets, slice it into small cubes
and drop them into the chilled milk-coconut mixture.
· Give it a nice stir and pour the mixture into serving bowls.
· Serve cold and enjoy.
Chef’s Tip: A dollop of vanilla ice cream on top of buko pandan is bound to
please your sweet tooth and maximise your pleasures manifold.
BUKO PANDAN
INDONESIAN DESSERTS
With a total count of over 6000 islands in Indonesia, the diversity of their cuisine
shouldn’t come as a surprise. Every island or region boasts of their own cuisine,
all of which come together to give rise to one of the most scrumptious food of
Asia – Indonesian cuisine.
Flavours of Indonesian desserts do justice to the world-wide fame of Indonesian
food. While some of them might remind you of some western desserts, most of
them stay true to its roots and oozes out tropical oriental essence in every aspect.
So if you love fusion food, especially desserts, Indonesian desserts won’t let you
done.
Indonesia being a paradise of tropical fruits, such as, melons, durian, jackfruit,
papaya, banana and salak, excel in fruity treats. Whether served just like that or
cooked into jellies or desserts, these fruits will never fail to please you with its
refreshing fruity sweetness and turns every Indonesian dessert into a winner.
And when it comes to Indonesian fruity delights, how rujak or fruit salad can go
without mention; that is fresh fruits sliced and tossed with peanuts and sweet-
sour palm sauce is indeed a truly and delightful dessert to have and is the best
way to enjoy all the tropical fruits of Indonesia in one bowl.
Coconut milk seconds the popularity of fruits when it comes to ingredients for
Indonesian desserts. A dose of coconut milk, thin or thick, into a dessert turns it
creamy and when teamed with beans or rice, they often double its duty as a
snack between meals. And how can you miss out wobbly jellies in lively colours
– they are an instant hit among adults and children alike!

CENDOL
Green jellies, made of pandan leaf extracts, which is doused in sugar syrup and
coconut milk and topped with shaved ice to turn it into a refreshing summer
treat.
Ingredients:
· 1 cup green pea flour, soaked in 1 cup water
· 20 pandan leaves, rinsed and cut into 6 m long pieces
· 2 large coconuts, grated
· 1 tbsp alkaline water
· ½ tbsp salt
· Handful of red beans
· 2 tbsp sugar syrup
· Water as needed
Method:
· Throw in the pandan leaves strips into a blender, along with 2 ½
cups water and pulse into a green juice.
· Strain the juice through a sieve and stir in alkaline water.
· Meanwhile, pour the above mixture into the pea flour mixture and
give it a nice stir.
· Heat the mixture over medium flame, while stirring constantly,
until it thickens.
· Transfer the prepared dough to a wooden cendol maker into a bowl
of ice water; keep the size of the cendol strands moderate.
· Set them aside for about 10 minutes so that they harden.
· Squeeze out the milk from the grated coconut into 2 quarts of
warm water to make the coconut milk.
· Season with salt and refrigerate for an hour or more to chill.
· Spoon in some cendol strands in a bowl and top it up with shaved
ice.
· Pour in the sugar syrup, followed by the coconut milk and garnish
with some red beans.
· Serve chilled.
CENDOL
BUBUR PULUT HITAM
Black and white rice comes together to become this creamy custard like dessert.
Ingredients:
· 1/3 cup white glutinous rice, rinsed and drained
· 1 ½ cups black glutinous rice, rinsed and drained
· 2 pandan leaves, knotted
· ½ tbsp tapioca flour
· 7 cups+ 2 tbsp water
· ½ cup sugar
· ½ cup coconut milk
· Dash of salt
Method:
· Throw in the rice in a stockpot of water, along with pandan leaves
and heat until the mixture starts boiling.
· Discard the pandan leaves and continue to simmer the mixture for
about 45 minutes over slow flame.
· Once the liquid thickens, stir in the sugar and continue to cook for
about 10 minutes.
· Dissolve the tapioca flour in 2 tbsp of water so that the mixture is
free of lumps, and pour it into the simmering mixture, along with a
pinch of salt.
· Ladle the rice pudding into small serving bowls and spoon in 2
tbsp of coconut milk over each of them.
· Serve hot or cold.
BUBUR PULUT HITAM
KOLAK
Fruits and sweet potato cooked in sweetened coconut milk.
Ingredients:
· 1 cup coconut milk
· 1 large banana, sliced
· 2 ripe jackfruits, diced
· 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
· 3.5 oz palm sugar
· ½ cup water
· Pinch of salt
· 1 sachet vanilla sugar
Method:
· Drop the sweet potato dices into boiling water and simmer until
they soften.
· Empty the cup of coconut milk, along with vanilla sugar, palm
sugar and salt.
· Cook briefly and add the rest of the ingredients.
· Simmer the mixture for a few minutes and spoon into serving
bowls.
· Add ice cubes and serve cold.
KOLAK
AIS CAMPUR
A vibrant cocktail of fruits, beans, corn and jellies in a mix of condensed milk,
soda syrup and shaved ice.
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
· 14.5 oz (1 can) sweetened condensed milk, reduced
· 1 package assorted jelly cubes
· 1 mango, diced
· 14.5 oz (1 can) orange slices, drained, rinsed and chopped
· 14.5 oz (1 can) pineapple chunks, diced
· 3 tbsp canned corn, drained and rinsed
· 14.5 oz (1 can) coconut segments, chopped
· 3 tbsp canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
· Grenadine or cherry-flavoured soda syrup
· 15 ice cubes, crushed
Method:
· Divide the crushed ice into 3 tall glasses.
· Add 1 tbsp each of jelly, pineapple, orange, mango, coconut
segments, kidney beans and corn in every glass.
· Pour ¼ cup of grenadine or soda syrup into each glass and top it up
with condensed milk.
· Insert a straw and a spoon.
· Serve chilled.
AIS CAMPUR
BUBUR KACANG HIJAU
A classic simple dessert of mung beans in coconut milk which claims its
sweetness from the palm sugar Serves: 4
Ingredients:
· 1 cup coconut milk
· ½ cup mung beans
· ½ cup palm sugar
· 2 pandan leaves
· Water, as needed
· Pinch of salt
Method:
· Add the mung beans in water and boil until they are properly
cooked.
· Stir in the pandan leaves, along with a dash of salt and simmer the
mixture for about 10 minutes.
· Stir in the palm sugar, along with a splash of coconut milk and
continue to heat the mixture while stirring gently.
· Spoon into serving bowls.
· Serve warm or cold.
Chef’s Tip: Stir in a dash of ginger powder to spice it up a bit and cope up with
any digestive problem after a heavy meal.
BUBUR KACANG HIJAU
THAI DESSERTS
The array of Thai desserts or khanom is a bouquet of vibrant colours. The

desserts and sweetmeats in bright colours and enticing shapes please you with
sweet sensations and reflect the meticulous character of the Thai natives. The
purpose of serving desserts at the end of Thai spread is not restricted to giving
sweet ending to an explicitly spicy meal but is also believed to give
completeness to the meal through their looks and forms.
Most Thai desserts feature coconut cream and flesh, rice flour and palm sugar as
sweetener and were traditionally cooked in earthern pans, pots and special
khanom equipments. They often make their appearance in propitious occasions
like Songkran or Thai New Year, Autumn festival and Thai weddings. Take
kalamae and khaoniao daeng for instance. Making these desserts are believed to
be full of hassles and thus often cooked by several women in unison during
fiestas and ceremonies. Therefore, Thai traditions have turned these sweet
delicacies into a symbol of friendly relationship and unity. On the first day after
the Buddhist lent ends, Buddhist monks are offered with sweetmeats like khao
tom luk yon, draped in palm leaf, alongside dried food and milled rice as a token
of respect and gratitude. Most Thai desserts are regarded as lucky charms and
believed to bring good luck and prosperity when served in auspicious
celebrations. While thong yot and thong ek signify wealth and fame, another
palm based sweet called khanom tan symbolises a smooth life.
With budding urbanisation of Thai life, some of these traditions have ceased to
exist, but the desserts and sweets still reign in Thai cuisine to mesmerise us with
its impressive authentic flavours.

TAPIOCA PUDDING
A hassle-free, gluten free dessert of tapioca pearls cooked in coconut milk
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
· ½ cup tapioca pearls
· 1 can thin coconut milk
· 2 cups water
· Pinch of salt to taste
· Maple syrup
Method:
· Soak the tapioca pearls in a cup of water for about 15 minutes, so
that they swell up; don’t keep them soaked beyond the estimated time
or they might break.
· Discard the excess water and add the pearls to a pot filled with
water, along with a dash of salt.
· Heat the water until it starts boiling; lower the heat to simmer it
further for another 15 minutes, while stirring at times.
· Once the tapioca softens and turns mushy, turn off the heat and
cover.
· Set it aside for about 10 minutes and then refrigerate until it is
chilled and the gel thickens.
· Add ¼ cup of the chilled tapioca into each serving bowl and top it
up with 1/3 cup of coconut milk.
· Stir well to distribute the tapioca evenly into the milk and serve
with a bout of maple syrup on top.
Chef’s Tip: If you buy a package of larger tapioca pearls for this recipe, then add
more water to the pot and boil them longer.
TAPIOCA PUDDING
KLUAY KAEK WITH ICE CREAM
Banana slices dipped in rice flour-coconut batter and deep-fried until golden
brown.
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
· 6 ripe yet firm bananas, peeled
· ¼ cup tapioca starch
· 1 cup rice flour
· ¼ cup shredded coconut
· 1 tbsp sesame seeds
· ¼ cup sugar
· ½ tsp baking soda
· ¾ cup water
· 1 tsp salt
· 4 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying
· 6 scoops coconut or vanilla ice cream
Method:
· Add the baking soda, salt, sugar and sesame seeds into the flour
and stir them well to mix thoroughly.
· Pour in water and stir well to get a smooth batter.
· Stir in the shredded coconut into the batter and set aside.
· Heat oil in a deep fryer until it turns smoking hot. Lower the heat.
· Plunge each banana into the bowl of batter so that they are coated
from every side.
· Gently lower that banana into the oil and deep-fry it until it attains
a golden brown hue; fry the rest of the bananas similarly.
· Transfer the fried bananas into a plate, lined with paper towel to
soak away the extra oil.
· Let them cool to room temperature and then slice each banana
lengthwise into halves.
· Arrange a pair of banana halves on each plate and place a dollop of
coconut or vanilla ice cream in the middle.
· Serve before the ice cream melts away.
KLUAY KAEK

RAINBOW RICE CAKE
The same old Asian rice cake with layers of vivacious colours is a visual treat.
Makes: 1 cake Ingredients:
· 1 cup sticky rice flour
· ¾ cup tapioca starch
· ¾ cup palm sugar
· 1 can or ¼ cup coconut milk
· ½ tsp pandan paste
· 2 tsp coconut extract
· Pinch of salt
· Permitted Food colouring of different hues
Method:
· Add salt and sugar into the flour, along with the rest of liquid
ingredients and stir into a thick uniform batter.
· Ladle some of the batter into a small bowl and stir in one of food
colouring.
· Grease a loaf pan with little amount of oil and transfer the batter
into it.
· Empty a couple of cups of water into a large vessel and heat until it
boils.
· Wrap the surface of the loaf pan with a foil and place it onto the
boiling water.
· Put a lid on and steam the cake over medium heat for about 5
minutes or until the batter becomes firm.
· Clean the small bowl and again ladle some more batter into it.
· Stir in a different food colour and pour it over the 1st layer of cake.
· Steam it again for 10 minutes until it becomes firm throughout.
· Continue to add layers of varied colours to the cake and steam
each time, until the entire batter is used up. Every time you add a new
layer, prolong the steaming time by a couple of times to ensure a
properly cooked cake.
· Take the loaf pan out of the steamer and wait until the cake cools
down.
· Demold the cake onto a plate and slice it with a wire or a sharp
knife.
· Serve and turn your meal into a colourful affair.
Chef’s Tip: This cake can be stored for up to 2 days when wrapped in a plastic
and refrigerated in an air-tight container.

RAINBOW RICE CAKE

Pumpkin-based custard with coconut cream Ingredients:
· 5 eggs
· 1 small pumpkin
· ½ cup sugar
· 1 cup coconut cream
Method:
· Whisk the eggs and pour the coconut cream in a continuous stream
while doing so.
· Stir in the sugar and continue to beat the mixture until it turns
frothy.
· Slice off the top of the pumpkin and scoop out most of its interiors
to make it resemble a bowl with a lid.
· Puree the scooped out pumpkin flesh in a blender and stir the puree
into the coconut cream mixture.
· Transfer the pumpkin-coconut mixture into the hollowed pumpkin
and place it in a steamer.
· Steam for about half an hour and set aside to cool.
· Refrigerate until the custard sets and serve.
TAM TIM GROB IN COCONUT MILK
Red ruby like jellies floating in coconut milk Ingredients:
· 1 cup water chestnuts, diced
· ¾ cup coconut milk
· ½ cup sugar
· ½ cup tapioca flour
· ¾ cup jasmine essence water (refer chef’s tip)
· Red food colouring
· Crushed ice
Method:
· Soak the water chestnut dices in red food colouring until they turn
bright red.
· Meanwhile, stir the sugar in jasmine essence water and boil the
mixture until the former dissolves and the liquid reaches the desired
syrupy consistency.
· Add the stained water chestnuts into a bowl of flour and stir to coat
them well.
· Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a pot and throw in the water
chestnuts.
· Cook until they float on the surface and resemble rubies.
· Drain and transfer them into a bowl of cold water without wasting
any time.
· Fill serving bowls with crushed ice and top it up with the red
rubies.
· Spoon in generous amount of coconut milk, followed by the sugar
syrup and serve chilled.
Chef’s Tip: Dip the jasmines in a jug of water, cover to make your own jasmine
essence water.
TAM TIM GROB
VIETNAMESE DESSERTS
Vietnamese food makes one of the finest cuisines of South-east Asia. The
wonderful Vietnamese dishes are the result of their rich historical past and
cultural diversity. Every delicacy reflects Vietnam’s cultural connection with
China and its neighbouring countries as well as its historical ties with French
people and traditions. Thus appeal of Vietnamese food lies in its diversity and
Vietnamese desserts keeps up to the reputation of the cuisine.
Vietnamese food, including its desserts are often made of basic ingredients,
which blend together to make healthy, low-fat dishes, which are high in carbs.
Most Vietnamese natives have lactose intolerance in their genes, as a result of
which desserts hardly features cheese and milk. Hence they prefer coconut milk
– another Chinese influence, which is often teamed with other oriental culinary
elements like beans, coconut meat, pandan leaves, palm sugar etc to create one
of the most mouth-watering yet simple dishes in Asian cuisine.
People of Vietnam are fond of fruits, especially, oranges, bananas, mangoes,
papaya as well as pineapple and love to have them for desserts. Fruits are often
turned into sweet candies, called, ô mai and fruit preserves, called mứt, whose
flavours ranges from sweet, spicy to savoury. Fruity flavoured jellies are not rare
too and often used as add-ons in desserts like fruit cocktails as well as shaved
ice.
The Vietnamese don’t wait till the end of meal to enjoy a dessert. Rather, they
prefer to gorge on desserts as snacks throughout the day. So, go the Vietnamese
way and splurge on a Vietnamese sweet delicacy whenever your sweet tooth
screams out for some sugary indulgence.

BANH PHU THE
This coconut cake with mung bean filling is a must have in Vietnamese
marriages and is traditionally offered to a woman by a guy while proposing her
for marriage.
Ingredients:
· 1 lb starch flour
· ½ cup coconut flakes
· 2/3 cup sugar syrup
· 1 1/3 cup sugar
· 5 oz yellow mung beans, soaked in water
· 4 cups water
· 2 tbsp lemon extract
Method:
· Add sugar and coconut flakes to the flour and blend well into a
uniform mixture.
· Pour in water and stir into a smooth batter.
· Transfer the mixture into a deep-bottomed pan and cook over slow
flame for about 10 minutes, while stirring frequently.
· Boil the mung beans in a pot of water until they soften and are
cooked through; drain and do away with the liquid.
· Return the mung beans to the pan, along with oil and syrup.
· Cook the mixture until most of the liquid ebbs away.
· Stir in the lemon extract and turn off the heat.
· Spoon in some of the cooked batter into small cupcake tins or on
palm leaves.
· Place some of the mung bean stuffing in the middle and top it up
with another layer of the batter. In case you are using palm leaves,
wrap the edges around the batter and tie it tightly with a string.
· Arrange them in a steamer and steam for about 20 minutes or until
the cake turns transparent.
· Set them aside for a while to cool and de-mold.
· Serve and win the heart of your dear ones.

BAHN PHU THE

RAU CÂU
It is a wobbly jelly cake with delicate flavours of coconut, mocha and pandan.
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
· ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
· 2 sachets (0.88 oz) agar agar (jelly) powder
· 7 1/3 cup cold water
· 2 1/3 cup superfine sugar
· 1 tbsp mocha paste
· 1 tbsp pandan paste
Method:
· Stir the agar agar powder in water until it dissolves and transfer the
mixture into a saucepan.
· Heat it over high flame while stirring constantly until it begins to
boil.
· Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the mixture until
it becomes even and smooth.
· Cook the coconut milk in a separate pot briefly and whisk in the
agar liquid.
· Stir in sugar and heat the mixture further for a couple of minutes.
· Pour it into 3 separate bowls and add about 4 tbsp of condensed
milk to each of them.
· Stir in pandan paste in one bowl and mocha paste in the other until
the colour is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
· Rub little cold water into the mold and pour the pandan mixture
into it to make the first layer.
· Let it set in the refrigerator at 10 degrees until the layer is firm.
· Pour the plain coconut mixture over it and leave in the refrigerator
following the above instructions.
· Make the mocha layer in a similar fashion and leave the cake in
the refrigerator for a couple of hours or even overnight.
· Remove the cake from the mold very gently and serve.
RAU CAU

BANH FLAN
Caramel custard with flavours very close to those found in French cuisine but
lighter and not as creamier as its western counterpart.
Serves: 6-7
Ingredients:
· 6 egg yolks
· 4 eggs
· 1 can sweetened condensed milk
· Milk, as needed
· 1 tsp vanilla powder
· Hot water, as needed
For the caramel:
· 4 tbsp water
· ½ cup sugar
Method:
· Warm up your oven to 350 F.
· Whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks together in a mixing bowl
until they are mixed thoroughly and set aside.
· Empty a whole can of condensed milk into another bowl.
· Fill the empty can with hot water and pour it over the condensed
milk, followed by milk, measured in the similar manner.
· Stir them together to mix, along with the whisked eggs and blend
them together into a uniform mixture.
· Sieve the mixture through a fine strainer and stir in the vanilla
powder to the smoother strained mixture.
· Heat a mixture of sugar in water in a pan over moderate heat while
stirring continuously.
· Once the sugar dissolves and the syrup turns to a darker shade of
brown, remove from heat and pour it into 6-7 ramekins.
· Divide the flan mixture into the ramekins up to its rim.
· Fill half of a baking pan with water and arrange the ramekins in it.
· Bake them in the oven for about 50 minutes or until the pudding
turns firm.
· Serve warm or cold.

BAHN FLAN

SUA CHUA
A creamy yogurt based dessert with silky smoothness and a hint of playful
tartness.
Ingredients:
· 14.5 oz (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
· 1 ¼ cup milk
· 1 cup plain yogurt
· ½ cup hot water
· Raspberry jelly
Method:
· Empty a can of condensed milk into a mixing bowl and whisk it
together with hot water.
· Stir in milk as well as yogurt to the mixture and continue to mix
them together into a uniform and smooth mixture.
· Pass it through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer into another
bowl to smoothen it out further.
· Heat water in a large container until it starts boiling and place the
bowl with the milk-yogurt mix on it.
· Turn off the heat immediately and pour some more boiling water
until the water level reaches the rip of the bowl.
· Cover the large container with a pot and let the yogurt set for about
4-5 hours.
· Remove the smaller bowl from the water bath and cover and
refrigerate to chill.
· Scoop out the yogurt into serving bowls and add a dollop of
raspberry jam or any of your favourite fruit topping on it.
· Serve chilled.
Chef’s Tip: If the yogurt doesn’t set, then the water in the bathe must have been
too hot than desired. So keep an eye on the temperature of the water and avoid
from letting it get too hot.
SUA CHUA
BANH CHUOI NUONG
Soft and sweet caramelised pudding with alternate layers of banana and bread
slices soaked in coconut cream.
Ingredients:
· 4-5 large ripe bananas, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise.
· 8-10 slices white bread, crust removed
· 6.8 lf oz coconut cream
· ¼ cup castor sugar
· 1 cup brown sugar
· 2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
Method:
· Toss the banana slices with castor sugar and set aside.
· Stir in the brown sugar in coconut cream and heat the mixture until
sugar dissolves, while stirring constantly.
· Remove from heat and set the mixture aside to cool.
· Warm up your oven to 180 C.
· Spread a parchment paper across the bottom of a spring form
parchment paper and lightly oil its sides.
· Arrange few banana slices on the parchment paper followed by
some of the bread slices soaked in coconut mixture.
· Repeat the layers until all of the banana slices and bread slices are
used up. The final layer should have the bananas.
· Add a lashing of coconut oil over the pudding and bake it in your
oven for about an hour.
· Remove from oven and allow the pudding to cool,
· Remove from mold, slice and serve.
Chef’s Tip: While baking the pudding, if the surface starts to brown too quickly,
cover it with a aluminium foil and continue to bake.
BANH CHUOI NUONG

Other books by Charles Ho

Asian Recipes - 50 Tasty & Easy Made Unique Exotic Recipes (With Images Of
Each Dish And Chef's Note)

7 Proven RESTAURANT MARKETING Strategies To Increase Your Restaurant Business Today!

Conversion Tables

Oven Temperatures 140 °C 280 °F Measures
150 °C 300 °F
170 °C 340 °F 1/4 inch
180 °C 350 °F 6 mm
1/2 inch
200 °C 400 °F
13 mm
220 °C 430 °F 3/4 inch
240 °C 464 °F 19 mm
2 inches 5
cm
4 inches
10 cm
6 inches
15 cm
10 inches
25 cm

WEIGHT
VOLUME MEASUREMENTS MEASUREMENTS

50 g 1¾ oz.
60 ml 2 fl. oz. ¼ cup 125 ml 4 fl. oz. ½ cup 60 g 2 oz.
180 ml 6 fl. oz. ¾ cup 250 ml 8 fl. oz. 1 cup 100 g 3½ oz.
125 g 4 oz.
375 ml 12 fl. oz. 1½ cup 500 ml 16 fl. oz. 2 cups
150 g 5 oz.
600 ml 20 fl. oz. 2½ cups 825 ml 27 fl. oz. 3½ 200 g 7 oz.
cups 1 lt. 2 pints 4 cups 1.5 lt. 3 pints 6 250 g 8 oz.
cups 2 lt. 4 pints 8 cups 300 g 10 oz.
375 g 12 oz.
400 g 14 oz.
500 g 1 lb.
1 kg 2 lb.
1.5 kg 3 lb.
2 kg 4 lb.

About The Author
“The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of man than the
discovery of a star.”

- BRILLAT-SAVARIN

Charles Ho was born 1961 in a family, where classical Chinese cuisine was
passed from one generation to another. His culinary skills were nurtured by his
father, a renowned master chef in Chinese cuisine. To further refine his skills,
Charles attended the Malaysian Chinese Cuisine chef training course, as well as
the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary workshops. Besides, he also graduated
with a diploma in hotel management from the American Hotel & Motel
Association (formerly known as AHMA, now AHLA). Academically, Charles
holds a Bachelor Degree (B.A. Hons) in International Business Administration
from the University of Northumbria U.K and also possesses a Diploma in
Management from the University of Malaya. Throughout his career, Charles has
been featured numerous times in food and cooking magazines as the master chef
in Chinese cuisine and also acknowledged as “Asia Food Guru”. As an
authoritative & professional chef, and also an expert on Asian Cuisine, Charles
has successfully demonstrated his special techniques and recipes which
delighted his audience, including the community of the Western World. By
extensively travelling and accumulating the most authentic recipes of all Asian
countries, that were prized as family secret recipes, Charles Ho wrote numerous
articles and reports on Asian cuisine. He also contributed with his recipes and
features on regional cooking ‘’Home Cooking’’ magazine, local publications,
newspapers and is currently working on two other cookbooks. Charles Ho has
retired, and now, with more hours to spare, indulges in his favorite pastime –
writing (holding a pen rather than a pan).

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”

- George
Bernard Shaw

Share your cooking success, secrets and stories!

Share your ideas, your success or your stories about the pleasures of cooking at:
www.asiafoodguru.com
www.malaysiarestaurantmanagement.com
Email : foodguruasia@gmail.com

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ASIAN

SRI LANKAN DESSERTS

Other books by Charles Ho

The array of Thai desserts or khanom is a bouquet of vibrant colours. The

RAINBOW RICE CAKE

7 Proven RESTAURANT MARKETING Strategies To Increase Your Restaurant Business Today!

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”

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