A light and refreshing no bake dessert perfect for the Summer — Jackfruit Coconut Milk Jelly or what is commonly known as the Mauritian “la mousse”. Ripe jackfruit adds a little twist to the traditional mousse recipe.
Is it the mere thought of Summer that calls for lighter refreshing food? That is how I feel anyway. We have had a few days of above 25°C but so far Summer has been rather cool. Although, it is so bracing to be able to leave the windows open especially in the evening letting in the crisp fresh breeze. Soon the night air might start to warm up.
Frozen smoothies in popsicle moulds have already made it to my freezer. You might have seen the watermelon smoothie recipe that I shared on my Instagram; I made them into popsicles too. When it comes to desserts, Kevin and I are like big kids. Our conversation of what were our favourite childhood chilled or frozen treats lead us to the milk jelly or what we commonly call “la mousse” in Mauritius. It is a jelly made with milk, sweetener, flavourings, sometimes food colour and agar agar as jellying agent. Milk jellies are most welcomed treats under the tropical weather. It is probably why chilled desserts tend to be far more popular than lush cakes; the latter are more often enjoyed as afternoon tea-time snacks.
For that matter, although short, the Canadian Summer feels tropical enough. This means at least two months of chilled treats although we tend to enjoy them year round too.
The addition of ripe jackfruit brings a little twist to this traditional mousse recipe. The idea was inspired from a fellow Mauritian blogger’s recipe — Asmi from à la As. I brought just a few minor modifications to the recipe, namely a reduced amount of additional sweetener as I find ripe jackfruit to be sweet enough. While green or young jackfruit lends itself to many savoury preparations, the ripe jackfruit makes exquisitely tasty desserts. An unsung treasure of the fruit kingdom, this ginormous fruit is very often underused alas, due to its mild unpleasant musty smell when ripe that some describe as being just foul. It takes a little time perhaps to really come to appreciate this fruit for its unique taste and mouthfeel, although fruit connoisseurs need no convincing to delectably splurge on it, whether fresh, preserved or cooked.
You may replace the jackfruit with other fruits like mango, pear or melon in this recipe but try to keep the amount of liquid the same, otherwise the jelly may not set properly unless you adjust the agar agar too (if you have some experience with it). You may also omit the fruit completely and add some vanilla or almond extract for the plain traditional mousse. A little tweak in the ingredients and proportions will yield a flan (or creme caramel) instead, another scrumptious Mauritian dessert.
And since nothing announces Summer like fresh juicy berries, strawberries add in a seasonal touch and a pop of colour.
More recipes using agar agar from the blog:
Fruit Terrine
Mauritian Flan (Creme Caramel)
Here’s a short video for the easy process.
Jackfruit Coconut Milk Jelly – No Bake Dessert
Inspired and adapted from Asmi’s recipe
Ingredients (6 ramekins)
1 litre coconut milk (carton or homemade, or other non-dairy milk)
13 -14 cm [5.5 inches, 9g] agar agar strands (or 3 teaspoons agar powder [buy it from here in Canada or here in the US], or 3 tablespoons agar flakes)
1 cup [250 ml] water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 – 5 [200g] ripe jackfruit pods (i.e the flesh around the seeds)
3 – 4 tablespoons maple syrup (optional, or other sweetener to taste)
Strawberries (optional)
If using strawberries, slice them and line the ramekins, moulds or small jars. Set the ramekins aside.
Discard the syrup from the jackfruit and use only the fruit. Tear them into coarse pieces and add to a blender. Add about half of the milk and process to a liquid. Then add in the rest of the milk and stir.
Place the agar and the water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil until agar is completely dissolved.
Meanwhile, in a small cup mix about one cup of the blender jackfruit and milk mixture with the cornstarch. Set aside.
Once agar is dissolved, add the jackfruit and milk mixture to the saucepan. Then give the cornstarch mixture a stir first if it has deposited at the bottom, and add it to the saucepan. Stir immediately.
Taste the mixture and add the maple syrup (if required) to taste.
Let the mixture simmer over medium-high heat. Stir gently and slowly and almost constantly when mixture starts to heat up to avoid lumps.
Once mixture reaches a rolling boil, remove from the heat and immediately pour into the ramekins.
Keep in an undisturbed place and allow to cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
To demould, place the ramekins in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. The jelly will loosen around the edges. Then, turn it onto a serving plate. Serve cold accompanied with some fresh pieces of jackfruit or other fruits.
Jackfruit Coconut Milk Jelly - No Bake Dessert | Vegan Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 litre coconut milk, carton or homemade, or other non-dairy milk
- 13 -14 cm agar agar strands , [5.5 inches, 9g], (or 3 teaspoons agar powder, or 3 tablespoons agar flakes)
- 250 ml water, [1 cup]
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 200 g ripe jackfruit pods, [4 - 5 pods] i.e the flesh around the seeds
- 3 - 4 tablespoons maple syrup, optional, or other sweetener to taste
- Strawberries, optional
Instructions
- If using strawberries, slice them and line the ramekins, moulds or small jars. Set the ramekins aside.
- Discard the syrup from the jackfruit and use only the fruit. Tear them into coarse pieces and add to a blender. Add about half of the milk and process to a liquid. Then add in the rest of the milk and stir.
- Place the agar and the water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil until agar is completely dissolved.
- Meanwhile, in a small cup mix about one cup of the blender jackfruit and milk mixture with the cornstarch. Set aside.
- Once agar is dissolved, add the jackfruit and milk mixture to the saucepan. Then give the cornstarch mixture a stir first if it has deposited at the bottom, and add it to the saucepan. Stir immediately.
- Taste the mixture and add the maple syrup (if required) to taste.
- Let the mixture simmer over medium-high heat. Stir gently and slowly and almost constantly when mixture starts to heat up to avoid lumps.
- Once mixture reaches a rolling boil, remove from the heat and immediately pour into the ramekins.
- Keep in an undisturbed place and allow to cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- To demould, place the ramekins in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. The jelly will loosen around the edges. Then, turn it onto a serving plate. Serve cold accompanied with some fresh pieces of jackfruit or other fruits.
Video
Notes
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