Cambodia & Recipe: Coconut pearls with mung bean cream

Coconut pearls are a dessert made from glutinous rice flour, sometimes with wheat starch or corn flour added.

The pearl is filled with mung bean cream (green soybeans) and sugar, then sprinkled with coconut flakes. The preparation of coconut pearls follows the Chinese principles of caobing (grass cake) or tangyuan (dumplings in soup).

Coconut pearls can also be filled with peanut, egg or sesame. They are usually eaten hot or warm. Generally white in colour, coconut pearls can also be prepared with pandan essence to give them a green colour.

Ingredients (for around twenty coconut pearls)

• 200 g glutinous rice flour

• 60 g wheat flour

• 1/2 sachet yeast

• 100 g shelled yellow soybeans

• 200 ml coconut milk

• 200 g grated coconut

• 180 g caster sugar

• 1 pinch salt

Preparation

• Soak the 100 g of yellow soybeans in water for half a day.

• Rinse and steam for 45 minutes.

• After cooking, mash with the back of a tablespoon, adding 65 g sugar, 100 g grated coconut and a pinch of salt.

• Form into small balls about 2.5 cm in diameter.

• Melt 125 g of sugar in 250 ml of coconut milk and a pinch of salt

• In a bowl, mix 200 g of glutinous rice flour and 60 g of wheat flour with half a sachet of baking powder, add the 125 g of sugar and 250 ml of coconut milk

• Mix everything together to form a soft dough

• Bake the dough for about half an hour (it should not be sticky)

• Take a ball of white dough, flatten it and insert the yellow ball of dough

• Wrap the balls in cling film, turn them to form a round, tight ball and then remove the cling film

• Cut squares of baking paper and place each ball on one

• Steam for 12 minutes

• Once cooked, roll the balls in the remaining grated coconut