Coconut and Pandan Pudding with Aduki Beans

This, I think, is the Chinese version of panna cotta. Strangely I've never got to like panna cotta, but I love this Chinese pud. Traditionally, it is made with yellow split peas ('ma dou')/aduki beans with coconut cream. I twisted it a little by adding pandan water, which complements coconut cream really well... Yum!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 35g Aduki beans
2. 60ml evaporated milk
3. 100g sugar
4. 130g coconut cream
5. 50g cornflour
6. 2 leaf gelatine
7. 3 pandan leaves
8. Water

Method:

• Soak the aduki beans for a few hours and boil them in water until soft. Drain.
• Cut the pandan leaves into small pieces and whizz them with some warm water in a food processor. Use a sieve to filter the pandan water into a bowl. Discard the leaves.
• Add warm water to the pandan water to make a total of 300ml of pandan water.
• In another bowl, soak the leaf gelatine with 100ml of cold water. When the gelatine leaves are softened, put the bowl over a pot of simmering water until the gelatine leaves are fully dissolved. Take out the bowl to let it cool a little.
• In another bowl, put in the coconut cream, evaporated milk and cornflour and mix well.
• In a pan over medium heat, dissolve sugar with pandan water.
• Then add in the cornflour mixture. Stir constantly until it comes to a boil. You will see the the mixture starts to thicken and turn gluey.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add in the gelatine water and blend well. Also add in the aduki beans.
• Pour the mixture into ramekins. Let it cool completely and store in the fridge to set.