15. Desserts
Life is too short to skip dessert!
There is a very wide variety of desserts to be found throughout Asia, Asian people love to finish their dinners with a sweet treat. There is so much more to discover besides the all-time-favourites like Mango Sticky Rice and Mochi. Exotic colour and taste explosions will tickle your taste buds!
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NATA DE COCO
Nata de Coco is Spanish for ‘cream of the coconut’. The dessert is similar to jelly, but is firmer in structure and it is often white to translucent. It is translucent when made from coconut water and white when coconut milk is used. Nata de Coco is originally from the Philippines and nowadays very popular in many Asian and Western countries for its delicious sweet taste and pleasant jelly-like consistency. The coconut water (or milk) is fermented. Because it has little flavour of its own, it is often kept in sugar syrup and then used as part of a dessert, such as ice cream or pudding or in fruit salad or fruit drinks.
The pudding has a firm structure and is usually rich in dietary fibre, contains no cholesterol and 0% fat. Nata de Coco does not contain any calories of its own. Because it is often sold in syrup, the number of calories is determined by this syrup.
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TAPIOCA PEARLS
Tapioca Pearls are produced from Tapioca, a starch extracted from the Cassava Root. They originated as a cheaper alternative to Pearl Sago in the Southeast Asian cuisine. However nowadays the pearls are commonly referred to as Boba (a transliteration of the word for "bubble") and is used for the preparation of Bubble Tea, after flavour and colour is added. The Tapioca Pearls are simply used to provide texture, the flavour comes from the drink itself. Boba is a very popular drink in Asia and is becoming more and more popular in Europe.
Tapioca Pearls typically lack flavour and gel easily, and are therefore often used as a thickening agent in foods like pudding. Next to Bubble Tea the balls are also used to thicken products such as Pudding. Apart from that, in India they are used for fish curries.
GINGER BALLS AND CHUNKS
Ginger is a cousin to Bamboo and kin to Turmeric and Cardamom. It grows well in shaded, tropical and sub-tropical climates. Ginger balls, also known as Stem Ginger, are sweet, ready-to-use balls of Ginger. Delicious in both cold and hot preparations. They have the recognizable strong spicy flavour of Ginger but then in a hard shape. The balls or chunks have been crystalized or candied to make them tangier, sweeter and harder. The product can be used as a condiment and for in tea.
CUSTARD
Custard is a culinary preparation made by blending eggs with milk or cream. Custard is thickened by the solidification of the egg proteins, which is achieved by gently heating the custard.
Custard is mainly used as a dessert, as a base for a dessert or as a dessert sauce. Heuschen & Schrouff also sells a powdered mix you can use to make custard; this is very similar to the type of mix used to make instant pudding. The mix needs to be combined with milk, cook to thicken, and that’s it! Custard powder is primarily made up of thickeners that give the pudding its texture.
AGAR DESSERT MIX
Agar is the Malay word for Red Algae. Agar is however only a gelling agent extracted from 'Red Algae', which is mainly used for setting Jellies. Because Gelatine is made from animal collagen, agar agar makes a viable vegetarian alternative.
Agar Agar has no scent, and doesn't leave any colouration or residue. Gelatine has a low melting point; they literally melt in your mouth. Agar Agar however has a higher melting point, meaning that it does not melt in your mouth, which results in a distinctive firmness. It is Agar Agar's high melting point which makes it a particularly popular ingredient in hot countries, as gelatine-set puddings would melt if left in the sun Agar does not.
Agar is also known as E406 in the list of E numbers.
KHAMAN DHOKLA
Khaman Dhokla or Khaman is a savoury steamed cake made from Gram Flour (Besan/Chickpea Flour). This is a vegetarian culinary dish that is found mainly in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is made with fermented batter derived from Rice and Split Chickpeas.
Dhokla is very similar to Khaman, however there is a difference only a trained eye can tell. Dhokla is made from a fermented batter of Rice and Split Chickpeas and is pale yellow or white in colour. Khaman is made up of fresh ground Channa Daal or Channa Flour (besan), soaked in water to make a soft thick paste which has a cake-batter like consistency. This is then baked to spongy bread like texture. Gram Flour (Chickpea Flour), semolina, Lemon Juice and Curd are some of the main ingredients used in baking Khaman. Texture wise, Dhokla is a little harder than Khaman.
Dhokla and Khaman can be eaten for breakfast, as a main course, a side dish, a snack, so basically every time of the day. Both khaman and Dhokla can be prepared in a variety of ways.
STEAMED WHITE CAKE
Steamed White Sugar Cake is a classic in Chinese bakeries. It is a traditional Chinese snack that is white in colour; the cake is not too sweet, slightly chewy and is wonderfully spongy from the honeycomb-like appearance on the inside of the cake. Freshly Steamed White Sugar Cake is deliciously soft and moist.
A Vietnamese version of the cake, called bánh bò, differs from the Chinese version due to the use of ingredients. In the Vietnamese version coconut milk is used as an ingredient, therefor it does not have the sourness that often typifies the Chinese version.
PURPLE YAM
Purple Yams have greyish-brown skins and purple flesh, and their texture becomes soft like a Potato when cooked. This root vegetable originates from Southeast Asia and is often confused with Taro Root.
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Purple Yam is also known as Ube. It is often used in desserts in the Filipino cuisine due to its slightly sweet flavour and rich texture. It has been described like a mix between Vanilla and Pistachio. It has a sweet and earthy taste.
MOCHI
Mochi is a round Japanese Rice Cake which is traditionally eaten around the New Year (in the same way as Dutch people eat “Oliebollen”). The sticky, soft cake can have different fillings, such as Green Tea, Taro and Red Beans.
Besides these traditional Mochi's we also sell Mochi Ice Cream, these are frozen Mochi's with a Sticky Rice Dough outside and a Ice Cream filling. The Mochi Ice Creams are also available in mainstream flavours like Mango Vanilla and in a mixed flavours package.