imbb 15, pt. 2: a kiss, a blush, and the jealousy unfolds.

It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

i wanted to make a romantic dessert, but with romance you get complications, despite how simple it may seem. first: a kiss of rose petal, immediately followed by a blushing rosewater-scented sugar syrup. next: a softly set layer of gelatin made with lychee juice, shredded lychee fruit, and finely diced nata de coco coconut gel, which breaks through to tiny sago tapioca pearls in sweet coconut milk infused with the tiniest bit of star anise. it's always just a little murky and a little strange, isn't it? i leave it open to interpretations.

to eat: set aside the rose petal. spoon up the sugar syrup with a bit of the lychee gelatin, but once it is gone, break up the rest of the jelly and eat with the sago pearly coconut milk. it's up to you if you want to get to the bottom of this.



rose lychee coconut parfait

note: proportions for this are really off, as i've no idea how to make a small amount of tapioca.

rosewater sugar syrup

boil equal parts of sugar and water over medium high heat; simmer until volume has reduced to half. cool, then add rosewater syrup to to taste.

lychee jelly

dissolve 1 teaspoonful of agar-agar powder (or 1 tablespoonful of agar-agar flakes) in 250ml of lychee juice or young coconut juice. let sit for 10 minutes, then gently bring to a boil. let simmer for 5 minutes, then take off heat. add shredded lychee fruit and diced nata de coco coco gel.


sago tapioca in coconut milk

bring 3-4 cups of water to a boil, then add 1 cup of small sago tapioca pearls to the pot. stir occasionally so they don't stick to the pot or each other, and keep at a gentle boil until completely transparent, about 20 minutes? i sort of space out when i do this, it might be less. drain the water off the sago, and rinse them in cool water. set aside.

gently heat 1 can of sweet coconut milk in a pot with one whole star anise. turn off heat, and incorporate the cooked sago pearls. leave to cool, then fish out star anise before serving.

assembly: spoon tapioca into glass, then top with the still-liquid lychee gelatin. leave to set in refrigerator, about half an hour, then add a couple teaspoonfuls of the rosewater-infused syrup. top with a little torn bit of rose petal.