When entertaining a large party, it’s always a good idea to serve a dessert buffet, with small portions of a few items, that the guests can help themselves to, according to their taste. On such a buffet, dairy-free, gluten-free, low sugar or vegan options are likely to please not only those who have dietary concerns, but rather, all the guests, especially after a fairly heavy dinner.
One of my go-to recipes of such options is my honey-ginger coconut panna cotta (find the recipe HERE), but this time, I was aiming at an even quicker dessert, that doesn’t need too much time to set. Instead of gelatin, I’ve used water chestnut powder, which is basically a fine starch, that can thicken liquids quickly. (It is quite similar to cornstarch and arrowroot powder, so if you can’t find it, they can be used instead.) The soft textured pudding blends beautifully with the colorful fresh fruits layer. Try it and enjoy.
Notes:
* For larger portions, simply double or triple the amounts given here.
Makes: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups full fat unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs maple syrup
Dash salt
¼ tsp lemon extract
2 Tbs water chestnut powdered (see introduction), mixed with 2 Tbs water
Fruits for topping (I used ripe passion fruit pulp, diced strawberries mixed with maple syrup, and orange segments – but any fruit combination will work here).
1. In a small pot, mix the coconut milk, sugar, maple syrup, salt and lemon extract. Bring to an almost boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in the water chestnut powder slurry and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the pudding thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
2. Pour into 4 ramekins, leaving enough room for the fruit topping. Place, uncovered, in the fridge for about 30 minutes, to cool and set.
3. When ready to serve, add the fruits on top.
Dear Ronit, this would be a perfect light dessert for Pesach, if I can use potato starch. What do you think? Also, if I don’t find maple syrup usable for Passover, could I use honey?
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Thank you Dolly, this recipe is indeed very suitable for Pesach, and you can definitely adapt it according to your preferences. I’ve never tried, but I think potato starch can work just as well here, and the same goes for honey. Another option is rice flour, though, coming from Sephardic family, I’m not sure if it’s considered “kitniyot” or not. It will be interesting to see your version. חג שמח! 🙂
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Thank you so much for your prompt response, dear friend! Yes, we consider rice kitniyot and don’t use it, but I’ve used coconut flour for years, and find it quite adaptable.
חג שמח!
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Glad it helps! 🙂
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Wow! What a delicious pudding! Like the combo of creamy coconut milk and juicy fruits.
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Thank you Megala, I’m glad you liked the recipe. It is very light and tasty. 🙂
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Great idea for entertaining – I guess one could use any pudding and vary the fruits of course. I like those containers and have seen them on Pinterest. Always looking for new ideas… 🙂
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Thank you Judi, I’m glad you liked the idea. Any variations you prefer are indeed very easy to make. I use these containers a lot. They’re great for large parties. 🙂
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This is perfect dessert for summer evening…. light, creamy and full of fruit flavors.. delicious!
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Thank you Deeksha I’m glad you liked the dessert. It is indeed light and easy. Now with the fresh seasonal fruits, I’ll be making it often. 🙂
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I’ll probably have to use arrowroot powder. I love anything with coconut milk, so this sounds delicious. I’m gonna give it a shot!
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Thank you Blaine, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I think it can work just as well with arrowroot powder. I hope you’ll enjoy it! 🙂
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Wait a minute. I also love rice pudding. Now I have an idea of combining this with short grain jasmine rice to make a coconut rice pudding!! Maybe with some pine nuts in it!
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Absolutely! It can also work with rice flour, if you prefer a smoother texture. Pine nuts are always as good idea, even just on their own! 🙂
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Loved this recipe, am a fan of coconut milk products and so this is perfect for me! Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you Nisha, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I’m also a fan of coconut milk and love using it in different ways. 🙂
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Water chestnut powder! Who knew? Well you did, I guess!! I love love love puddings of all kinds and I can see why this one is a hit!
Mollie
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Thank you Mollie, I’m glad you liked the recipe. Water chestnut powder is quite popular in Chinese and Indian cooking. I like the velvety texture it gives the pudding, but it’s not that crucial and any other fine starch can work as well.
By the way, I haven’t seen your posts lately. Hope all is well. 🙂
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Oh, yes, still at it! 🙂
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Thoughtful for guests!
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It’s a small effort, that is always much appreciated. 🙂
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Absolutely unique and wonderful recipe with coconut milk… Our traditional sweets are all made using only coconut milk! Using Waterchesnut flour which is called Shingadyacha Peeth in Marathi was a superb idea!
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I love coconut in all its forms, and love Indian dessert that are made with it. I was actually introduced to water chestnut powder by a blog about Indian food. I like the texture and mouthfeel it gives. A great find! 🙂
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And… A great way to use that flour! Thanks for that idea!
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Thank you. It’s my pleasure to share. 🙂
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A great fast and easy dessert is my kind of dessert. I’ve had pasta and gnocchi made with chestnut powder but have not used in a dessert. Makes sense to me. I like the idea of a coconut milk pudding, so I’ll give this a try using corn starch. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you Ron, I’m glad you liked the recipe and hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
By the way, the starch used here is not chestnut powder, that can indeed used in pasta or gnocchi, but rather, it’s a water chestnut powder, which is a fine starchy powder, very similar to corn starch.
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Much needed for the summer here😊👍
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Thank you Jyo. This light pudding is indeed perfect for summer. 🙂
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Pudding and fresh fruit is a great dessert ending when you don’t want something rich or heavy. It’s great fro summer.
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Thank you Joanne, I’m glad you liked the recipe. It is indeed so nice to have a light fresh dessert after a heavy meal. 🙂
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They look like perfect summer dessert. It’s getting really hot where I live, am going to try this soon.
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Thank you Jin, I’m glad you liked the recipe. It is indeed very suitable for summer. I hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
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Yummmm!!!!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Delicious ❤👌
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Thank you Jyoti! 🙂
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This looks and sounds fantastic~! I wish I could grab one of those right though the screen~! Thanks for sharing this – perfect timing on the start of strawberry season over here, by the way 😀
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Thank you Diana, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I’m also looking forward to real fresh fruit season! 🙂
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I really enjoyed reading this recipe. Huge fan of coconut milk desserts.
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Thank you Marina, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I’m also a big fan of coconut in desserts and in any other form! 🙂
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I love the simplicity, yet elegance, of this dessert. It would be wonderful any time of the year, but I can especially picture serving it on a hot summer day.
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Thank you Sheryl, I’m glad you liked the dessert. It is indeed nice to have anytime, but even more so in the summer. 🙂
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What an elegant little dessert, I love it. You always have a technique that I haven’t heard of before such as using water chestnut powder as a thickener. I really like the square containers, are they glass or plastic?
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Thank you Karen, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I do love trying new ingredients, and loved the texture of the water chestnut powder. The containers are plastic, and are very handy when in comes to larger groups. I got them online.
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Thank you so much, I’ll look online and see if I can find them.
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yumm! thanks for sharing. SAVED.
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Thank you Dawn, I’m glad to know. I hope you’ll enjoy this tasty dessert. 🙂
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These sound and look amazing. I need to get water chestnut powder straight away 🙂
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Thank you Myra, I’m glad you liked the recipe. Water chestnut powder is also great for stir-fry chicken. I hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
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Delicious!!!!❤️️☺️❤️️
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Thank you Kelly. 🙂
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☺️❤️️🐣
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