Chai coconut & mango creams
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Chai coconut & mango creams

By Cassie Best

Vegan, dairy, gluten and nut-free – and delicious – this fruity, delicately spiced dessert will go down a storm at any dinner party

  • Prep:30 mins
    Cook:20 mins
    plus chilling
  • Serves 4
  • More effort

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 626
  • fat 37g
  • saturates 30g
  • carbs 68g
  • sugars 64g
  • fibre 4g
  • protein 3g
  • salt 0g

Ingredients

  • 4 allspice berries
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 vanilla pod, split, or ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 x 400ml cans full-fat coconut milk
  • 200g caster sugar
  • a little vegetable or sunflower oil, for greasing
  • 1 ripe mango, 1 cheek cut into small dice and set aside to serve, remaining 140g/5oz roughly chopped
  • juice ½ lime
  • 4 tbsp agar-agar flakes
  • 2 crinkly passion fruits, to serve
  • mint leaves, to serve
  • toasted coconut shavings, to serve

Tip

Get ahead

Prepare up to 1 day ahead (agar agar can turn desserts watery if left for too long).

Method

  1. Put the allspice berries and cardamom pods in a large saucepan. Use the end of a rolling pin to gently split open the cardamom pods and crack the allspice into a few pieces. Add the remaining spices, coconut milk and 140g of the caster sugar to the pan. Set over a gentle heat and simmer for 5 mins. Cool, then chill overnight.

  2. Grease 4 x 200ml pudding moulds, ramekins or pretty glasses with a little oil (you can skip this if you don’t want to turn the creams out once set). Put the remaining sugar, mango, and lime juice in a food processor and blend to a purée. Sieve the purée into a saucepan, sprinkle 1 tbsp agar agar flakes over the surface and leave to stand for 5 mins or until the agar agar has dissolved. Stir the agar agar into the purée and bring to a gentle heat, then simmer for 3-5 mins, stirring now and then, until the purée has thickened slightly. Divide between the moulds and chill for at least 2 hrs or until set.

  3. Sieve the infused coconut milk into a clean pan and discard the spices. Sprinkle over the remaining agar agar flakes and leave for 5 mins until the agar agar has dissolved. Heat gently for 3-5 mins, stirring now and then. Divide the mixture between the moulds and chill for at least 4 hrs, or overnight.

  4. To serve, dip the base of each mould into hot water for 10 secs or so, then turn out onto a plate. Top each dessert with a little chopped mango, some passion fruit seeds and a small sprig of mint, then sprinkle the coconut flakes around the plate.

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