Papaya and Tapioca Pearls in Sweet Coconut Milk

We had this for dessert one Sunday  when we went out to lunch after Church. It came with our meal. I don’t know if it’s something special for Sundays or if it’s a regular thing. PKU families in NC: if you are ever in the Raleigh area, check out Banana Leaf in Cary near Cary Town Center. Their menu is mainly Chinese but also has other Asian cuisine on it. Their vegetarian selection is fantastic. Daniel had a hard time figuring out what he wanted to order since he had a lot to choose from!

It’s a pretty simple dessert consisting of only a few ingredients. The riper the papaya, the sweeter and flavorful the dessert. I prefer mine deep red-orange and soft. The tapioca pearls in this are the same as the boba (bubble) tea ones. I got mine from my local Asian Market and they are available in different colors and sizes.

Serves 4 (small 1 cup ramekin size)

Ingredients:
1 can (13.5 oz) Coconut Milk
½ cup sugar
2/3 cup tapioca pearls
Boiling water for cooking tapioca pearls
¼ of a papaya cut into small cubed pieces

Mix the coconut milk and sugar in a small pot on low heat. It needs to be heated enough to dissolve the sugar into the coconut milk. Remove from stove to allow it to cool. The amount in the can is more than enough for a 4 person serving size. Save the rest of the sweeten milk for another recipe or use it to make another batch of this one.

Follow the instructions on the bag of the tapioca pearls. On mine it says to boil enough water in a pot for the amount of pearls you use. Once the water is boiling, gently place the pearls into the water and lower the heat to medium. Allow these to cook for 5 mins  (which will puff them up). Drain when they are ready.

 

Mesmerizing as they float up and down in the hot water.

While the tapioca pearls are cooking, go ahead and cut up your papaya. About one slice from a half of a papaya is right amount for 1 serving.

Not as red as I like it, but sweet enough.

Once everything is ready, put the tapioca pearls and papaya in your dessert dishes. Pour desired amount of sweeten coconut milk over them  and serve. ENJOY!

Yum!

Mango Cobbler (Low Protein Version)

Gorgeous Spring day here and I have been looking forward to making this! Especially since I found fresh mangoes in my local Indian grocery store!!!! Yay!!! I used Ataulfo Mangoes. These can be hard to find when not in season. Many ethnic markets carry them and sometimes places like Costco do too. Another variety of mango called Kent can also be used (It’s a bit wider so less of them can be used, like about 6).

Ataulfo mangoes also know as Manila and Champagne mangoes. Super sweet and delicious on their own.

The recipe is very similar to the Mixed Fruit cobbler, but with a twist. Different fruit and different baking mix. This time I used Taste Connections instead of Cambrooke. The TC Multi mix produces an crumbly melt in your mouth biscuit crust.

Mango cobbler filling waiting for biscuit topping.

Tips: If you don’t want to do all the cutting, pre-cut mangoes can be used. Taste test a piece. My mangoes were VERY sweet, ripe and juicy,  so I didn’t need to add very much sugar.

 

 

 

Ingredients:
Filling:
8 ataulfo mangoes (about 4 cups) cubed
1 tsp sugar (if your fruit is on the tart side add more)
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp lemon juice
dash of cinnamon (optional)

Biscuit dough:
4 tbsp unsalted butter room temp
1 cup Taste Connections Multi Mix
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Coffeemate creamer, regular flavor

Cut your mangoes. I prefer to cut them in thirds since there’s a big seed in the middle. Next take a spoon and scoop out the flesh from to the two side slices before I slice them in to cubes. If you want to or are able to, there’s quite a bit of flesh attached to the seed. Very carefully cut the mango away from it’s seed. It is slippery but also good for a snack later if you want to nibble the middle section of the mango. Cutting mangoes can be tedious since it’s slippery, sticky and very tempting to gobble up as you are cutting them. Pre-cut mango slices or cubed pieces are available in some stores if you prefer to use them.

In a sauce pan, mix the sugar and corn starch. Stir in the fruit and lemon juice. Keep stirring as the mixture heats up. Once it starts to thicken up and boil, remove from the stove top and pour the mixture into your square baking dish.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the butter into the baking mix. Add in the salt, baking powder and 1 tbsp of sugar. Stir in milk and knead the dough. My dough was on the watery side so I added more multi mix (roughly another ½ cup). Plop the dough on top on the warm fruit mixture. I like to shape mine into biscuits and place them side by side.

Bake for  25-30 mins until the the crust is golden brown. This is perfect as is, but can be served with whip cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

 

Ready to serve!