Chè Thái Recipe (Vietnamese Fruit Cocktail)

Ingredients

• Homemade pandan jelly (optional substitute for canned ai-yu jelly)
• 2 c water
• 1 tbsp natural pandan extract
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp agar agar powder"Red Rubies"
• 1 can 8 oz whole water chestnuts
• Natural red food coloring
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 2 cup water
• 2 cup ice for water bath
• Chè Thái
• 1 can 20 oz jackfruit
• 1 can 20 oz lychee
• 1 can 20 oz longan
• 1 can 19 oz ai-yu jelly
• 1 can 20 oz toddy palm seeds
• 1 fresh coconut you'll need the juice & flesh
• 1 can 13.5 oz coconut milk

Instructions

1. Open the 1 can 8 oz whole water chestnuts can and drain it.

2. Dice the water chestnuts into small pieces into 1/4 inch cubes and place them in a large bowl. Don't worry if they seem small, the coating of the tapioca starch makes them bigger.

3. Add a few drops of natural red food coloring to the cubed chestnuts and mix thoroughly. Make sure there isn’t extra water or food coloring in the bowl because this will make the tapioca starch extra gummy.

4. Add 1/4 c tapioca starch to the bowl and cover all the water chestnuts evenly. To remove extra starch, place the water chestnuts in a colander and sift. You want to prevent extra starch from going into the boiling water because it will make the water gummy, too.

5. In a separate bowl make an ice water bath with 2 c water and 2 c ice.

6. Boil a pot with about two inches of water over medium-high heat.

7. In small batches, add the coated water chestnuts and immediately stir to prevent sticking.

8. When the chestnut float to the top, remove them from the water and transfer to an ice water bath and stir again to keep from sticking.

9. Cool them in the bath for at least 10 minutes.