Healthy Chendol custard

I never thought I would see the day when I could enjoy coconut milk without a qualm.

"Picture provided by SPH"

There is a new product now in the market, which cuts down the saturated fat in coconut milk, by nearly half.

Produced by well-established name Ayam Brand, it has cut down the amount of saturated fat found in its coconut milk by 45%, yet retaining all the flavour. You get a fragrant milk which is ideal for adding to curries, laksa and the like.

Of course, soya milk, rice milk and nut milks could also add creaminess without the sin, but if you are a slave to coconut-ty fragrance, this new product would work for you.

Unlike skimmed coconut milks previously found on the market, this one is thick and creamy, thanks to the addition of xantham gum, often used by food manufacturers to achieve a thicker consistency to foods, among the ingredients.

Xantham gum is found, for example, in salad dressings, gluten-free baked products and even toothpaste to obtain the desired viscosity.

I decided to try out the skimmed coconut milk in a dessert. I used it for a chendol custard.

The idea was a dessert retaining all the flavours of chendol but presented as a soft coconut custard instead of a milk.

To be truthful, I was worried about whether the trim milk would be full-tasting enough for chendol, hence the custard idea. Eggs would do the trick, I thought.

The result was a soft velvety custard, fragrant with coconut, enhanced by a rich sweet palm sugar (gula melaka) syrup. Further textural delight came in the slippery flour strips and the squishy red bean topping.

If you are serious about cholesterol control, use just egg whites; if not, whole eggs would ensure a full-bodied flavour to this still healthier version of a classic dessert.

Ingredients:

Skinny chendol custard (For four)

• 2 medium whole eggs or just egg whites
• 200 ml trim coconut milk
• 2 tsps sugar
• Green chendol strips, available in supermarkets
• Packaged or canned red beans, available from Japanese sections of supermarkets
• 1 banana, sliced
• Gula melaka syrup, made by melting a cup of palm sugar shavings, into a cup of water.

Method:

1. Break eggs into a large mixing bowl, add sugar and stir, and not beat, till sugar has melted and mixture thickens. You do not want to incorporate too much air into the custard mixture for then it will not turn silky.
2. Add coconut milk and stir again.
3. Pour custard mixture into four ramekins and steam in a wok half filled with water over a low fire for 15 minutes or till set.
4. Cool. Chill ramekins, covered with cling film, in the fridge.
5. Before serving, pour over a spoonful of gula melaka syrup, top with a dollop of red beans, chendol strips and a few slices of banana. Serve immediately.