It took me a few tries to perfect this recipe. The inspiration came from a dessert I’d spotted several times on the web while looking for ways to use up the football-sized mound of taro I had purchased from the Asian grocery store. With my recent interest in dessert soups, it wasn’t surprising that a dish of taro simmered in sweetened coconut milk caught my attention.
From what I can tell, it seems to be a popular dessert in parts of Taiwan, China and South East Asia. The ingredients stay fairly consistent: coconut milk, sugar, taro and tapioca pearls, with the occasional pandan leaf thrown in, depending on which latitude the dessert is coming from.
I decided to make it my own, by substituting honey for sugar and adding shio koji for a salty element and a touch of umami, which does wonders to enhance the sweetness of desserts.
The ingredients that really make this dish shine, though, are the green cardamom and pandan leaves. Although the regions where they are cultivated overlap (in Sri Lanka and parts of South East Asia and India, for example), I could not find too many recipes that used them in concert, but the mouthwatering smell emanating from my Instant Pot as they simmered in the warm coconut milk was enough to confirm my suspicion that cardamom was my missing star.
The intense aroma of pandan, cardamom and coconut will dreamily transport to a lush, tropical haven where insect songs lull you to sleep and flowers always bloom.
Variations
Temperature: Warm or Cold
Depending on the temperature (and your mood), you may choose to serve this dish cold, as a refreshing summer delight, or warm, as a comforting winter pleasure.
Texture: Custard or Soup
The proportions in the recipe below will yield a thick custard-like dessert, but you can reduce the amount of taro and tapioca to achieve a thinner consistency. Alternatively, you can mix in more coconut milk, or another nut milk after cooking if the dessert is too thick for your tastes.
Toppings: Crunchy or Soft
I thought cacao beans and macadamia nuts complemented the dish perfectly, both in terms or texture and aroma, but if you don’t have those on hand, you could try toasting shredded coconut, cashews or black sesame instead.
Fresh blueberries or banana slices would be delicious too!
Cooking Method: Instant Pot or Stovetop
I started cooking the taro root in the Instant Pot after watching this, which may just be the most adorable instructional video I have ever seen, but you can also cook taro on the stovetop. Just bring the ingredients (coconut milk, diced taro root, pandan leaves and cardamom pods (stuffed in a tea filter or bundle of cheesecloth) in a pot and bring the coconut milk to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and keep cooking, checking occasionally, until the taro cubes are soft and cooked through (about 10-12 minutes). You may also want to add more liquid if you are using this method, as you will lose more by evaporation.
Joëlle
This creamy dessert combines the intoxicating fragrance pandan and cardamom-infused coconut milk with the aroma and crunch of freshly toasted cacao beans and macadamia nuts. Whether you serve it cold, as a refreshing summer delight, or warm, as a comforting winter pleasure, it will transport you to a lush and tropical place!
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Ingredients
- 3/4 cup small tapioca pearls
- 600 ml water (2 1/2 cups water)
- 1 cup taro root, diced
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 pandan leaves
- 1 tbsp green cardamom pods
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp shio koji or 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup macadamia, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup cacao beans or nibs, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Soak tapioca in cold water for at least an hour. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, and keep cooking, stirring constantly to avoid sticking, until pearls are nearly transparent (about 10 minutes).
- Turn off the heat, place a lid over the pot, and let the tapioca pearls rest and finish cooking.
- Place taro cubes, coconut milk and pandan leaves in the Instant Pot liner. Crush the cardamom pods gently in a mortar and stuff them inside a tea filter or a tied bundle of cheesecloth and add it to the liner as well. Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.
- After a natural release, remove the lid and discard the pandan leaves and cardamom pods.
- Using a fork or a potato masher, mash some of the taro cubes, to help thicken the mixture. Leave some chunks behind for texture.
- Mix in tapioca pearls, honey and shio koji.
- Pour the mixture into a large glass container to cool. Once cool enough, store in the fridge, preferably overnight, to let the flavours develop.
- When ready to serve, toast macadamia nuts and cacao beans or nibs in a skillet over medium heat until browned and fragrant.
- For a refreshing summer dessert, spoon some cold pudding in dessert bowls, garnish with warm cacao and macadamia pieces and serve.
- For a comforting winter dessert, reheat the mixture in a saucepan, pour into dessert bowls, garnish with warm cacao and macadamia pieces and serve.
Notes
Shio koji (塩麹) is a lacto-fermented mixture of rice koji (rice inoculated with aspergillus oryzae spore -- the basis for many well-know Japanese ferments such as miso, sake and soy sauce). It provides enzymes and probiotics while imparting the dish with a unique umami flavour. You can substitute sea salt, himalayan salt or fish sauce. To learn more about shio koji, how to make it at home, and how to use it in the kitchen, click here.
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