Sweet Taro Malabi 古早味蜜芋頭中東奶酪
Malabi is one of my favorite desserts to make for my dinner parties. Anything that can be prepared in advance and not compromising the flavor and texture is a winner for dinner party preparation in my opinion. The creamy taste and texture make it very easy to play with other ingredients and create delicious and gorgeous results.
In this recipe, I use a traditional Taiwanese dessert ingredient- sweeten taro, as the topping for the malabi. Taro is one of my favorite root vegetables. I use it in both savory and sweet recipes. (see my taro mushroom congee recipe, for example). Sweeten taro can also be enjoyed as is. Place the cooked taro in the fridge for several hours or overnight, take one or two chunks out and eat it directly is something I love growing up!
Sweet Taro Malabi 古早味蜜芋頭中東古早味蜜芋頭中東奶酪
Yield 6 people
Malabi ingredients
Whole Milk 700ml
Cornstarch 6 TBS/ 60g
Powdered sugar 7 TBS/ 70g
Vanilla pod 1, scrap off the seeds
Sweet taro Ingredients
Taro, 500g peeled and cut into 2” chunk
Granulated sugar 300g
Salt ½ tsp
Pomegranate seeds for topping
Instructions
Make the sweet taro- Put the taro in a heavy bottom pot. Add enough water to cover the taro, add in the sugar and salt. Bring to boil over medium heat and lower the heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Do not lift the lid. Let it sit for 20 minutes before uncovering the pot. Use a chopstick to test if the taros are cooked. If it can easily pierce through the taro, then they are done. Return the pot over low heat, cook for 25-30 minutes more until the sides of the taro become a bit furry looking but still maintain the shape. Remove from heat, transfer to an airtight container and set in the fridge overnight before using.
Make the malabi- Dissolve the cornstarch with 100ml of the milk
Warm the remaining milk in a small saucepan with the sugar, the vanilla seeds and pod. Add in the cornstarch mixture. Cook over low heat for about 8-10 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat, pour it into individual ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap, make sure the wrap is directly on the surface with minimal to none air space in between. Set aside to cool to room temperature, and place in the fridge for 4 hours to set.
When ready to serve, take 5-6 chunks of the sweet taro, mash them and spoon or pipe them on top of all the malabi. Top each container with 1 sweet taro chunk and sprinkle on some pomegranate seeds.
