Thai Red Ruby in Coconut Milk (Tub Tim Grob)

Method16 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Wash the pandan leaves, twist to bruise their fibres and tie into a knot.

   Uses 8–10 pandan leaves · Clean water, as needed to wash the pandan and water chestnuts

2. 2

   Step 2: Brush mud off the fresh water chestnuts (300 g), then wash thoroughly. Cut off both ends, peel and remove any remaining eyes with a knife tip.

   Uses 300 g fresh water chestnuts, to peel and dice · Clean water, as needed to wash the pandan and water chestnuts

3. 3

   Step 3: Dice the peeled chestnuts into roughly 1 cm cubes; keep their crunchy texture rather than crushing them.

   Uses Only cleaned peeled water chestnuts, excluding peel and wash water

4. 4

   Step 4: Mix the red colouring and 4 tbsp colouring water in a bowl. Add the diced chestnuts and turn until evenly stained. Let stand for 20 minutes while extracting the coconut milk.

   Colour the water chestnuts · 20 minUses ¾–1 tsp vegan-suitable red food colouring · 4 tbsp water, for the colouring soak · Diced water chestnuts

5. 5

   Step 5: Mix the fresh grated coconut (250 g) with the 150 ml warm first-extraction water and squeeze several times. Press through a sieve over a bowl to collect the first coconut cream, or santan. Reserve this cream separately and keep the pressed coconut solids for the second extraction.

   Uses 250 g fresh grated coconut, about one coconut · 150 ml warm water, for the first coconut extraction

6. 6

   Step 6: Add the 1.1 litres warm second-extraction water to the same pressed coconut solids. Squeeze and strain into another bowl to collect the thinner second coconut milk. Discard the spent solids and keep the first cream separate.

   Uses Only pressed coconut solids, excluding the reserved first cream · 1.1 litres previously boiled water, warmed for the second coconut extraction

7. 7

   Step 7: Drain the stained chestnuts, discarding excess colouring liquid. Put the chestnuts in a clean food-safe bag, add the ¾ cup first-coating tapioca flour, leave some air in the bag and seal. Shake firmly until every cube is coated.

   Uses Only drained stained chestnuts, excluding excess colouring liquid · ¾ cup tapioca flour, for the first coating

8. 8

   Step 8: For a thicker jelly coating, spritz the coated chestnuts with a little optional clean water and shake with the separate optional ¼ cup tapioca flour. Otherwise keep the single coating.

   Uses First-coated chestnuts and loose coating flour · ¼ cup tapioca flour, optional, for a second coating · A little clean water, optional, to spritz before the second coating

9. 9

   Step 9: Shake off and discard excess loose tapioca flour, then spread the coated chestnuts on a plate.

   Uses Only the selected coated chestnuts, excluding discarded excess flour

10. 10

    Step 10: Put the thinner second coconut milk, sugar, salt (¼ tsp) and prepared pandan in a pot. Heat gently over medium heat for about 10–15 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the pandan is fragrant. Check at 10 minutes and reduce heat if vigorous bubbling starts.

    Steep the pandan coconut milk · 10 minUses Only strained second coconut milk, excluding spent solids · 80–90 g sugar · ¼ tsp salt · Washed bruised pandan knot

11. 11

    Step 11: Add the reserved first coconut cream and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Turn off as soon as the mixture begins to bubble; do not let it boil vigorously. Lift out and discard the pandan knot.

    Warm the coconut cream gently · 5 minUses Sweetened pandan second coconut milk · Only reserved strained first coconut cream, excluding pressed solids

12. 12

    Step 12: Cool the coconut soup promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate covered at 4°C (40°F) or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C. Chill until cold. Serve it the same day for best flavour; if retained separately, the author allows up to 2 days in a sufficiently cold refrigerator.

    Uses Only cooked coconut soup, excluding the removed pandan

13. 13

    Step 13: Before boiling the rubies, put the two trays of ice cubes (2) in a clean bowl and add enough cold water to make an ice bath. Have it ready beside the stove for the cooked rubies.

    Uses 2 trays ice cubes, for the cooling bath · Clean cold water, enough for the ice bath and to keep the rubies separate while chilled

14. 14

    Step 14: Bring the 2.5 litres ruby-boiling water to a full boil in another pot. Add the coated chestnuts and stir constantly to keep them separate. Boil for about 5–7 minutes, checking at 5 minutes, until the jelly coating is cooked and the rubies float. Once floating, continue for another 1–2 minutes as the author’s tip directs, then lift them into the prepared ice bath.

    Boil the red rubies · 5 minUses 2.5 litres water, to boil the coated chestnuts · Only coated chestnuts, excluding discarded loose flour

15. 15

    Step 15: Lift the fully cooked rubies out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon and plunge into the prepared ice bath. Keep the rubies in clean cold water in the refrigerator until serving so they do not stick together. Serve the same day rather than keeping them overnight.

    Uses Only fully cooked rubies, excluding boiling water · Prepared ice bath

16. 16

    Step 16: Drain a serving of the chilled rubies just before eating, put in an individual bowl and add a portion of the chilled coconut soup. Divide among four servings and serve cold; mix the soup and rubies only at serving so the soup stays white.

    Uses Only chilled cooked rubies, excluding ice-bath water · Chilled coconut soup