Rubies in Coconut Milk - Tub-tim Grob

"Tub-tim" when translated means ruby in Thai . Tub-tim grob means crunchy ruby, thus the name Rubies in Coconut Milk. This dessert originates from Thailand and is probably something you would see on the dessert menu in most Thai eateries. I particularly love this dessert due to the crunchiness of the water chestnuts and the chewiness of the tapioca flour coating.

I decided to make this dessert to coincide with my upcoming trip to Bangkok this weekend .... oh I'm so looking forward to this. I promise to post up pictures when I get back. This is a really simple dessert to prepare and the only hard part for me was peeling the fresh water chestnuts. This task was assigned to my hubby! I guess sometimes I'm mean in the sense that I'll complain from the kitchen and make excuses that a particular job is difficult, and that's when he'll step in. This was one of the many occassions. There are three part to this dessert, the ruby, the syrup water and the coconut milk. If you have kids, you can get them involved in this as it's quite a fun activity.


Rubies in Coconut Milk ("Tub-Tim Grob")

(Serves 2)

About 12 - 14 pieces of fresh water chestnuts (or use about 1/2 can of water chestnuts)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 - 5 drops red food coloring
1/3 cup fresh or canned coconut milk/cream (mixed with a bit of water)

Method:

1) Slice each chestnut into half, making two round disks as far as possible.

2) Make two cuts into the two disks to make 6 equally sized pieces. Set chestnut pieces into a bowl and drop the red food coloring and a teaspoon of water and mix well.

3) Drain the chestnuts of any juice. Put tapioca flour in a big bowl. Drop the chestnuts in and shake the bowl around to coat the chestnuts with flour.

4) Scoop the chestnuts into a strainer to get rid of the excess flour. Put it into another bowl. Sprinkle the chestnuts with a bit of water and then coat them with flour again. If you want bigger rubies, repeat the spraying and flouring. Thus the coating outside the ruby would be thicker.

5) Boil a pot of water. When boiling, dump the coated rubies in. The cooked rubies will float up. Scoop them up in a strainer and dump them in ice water to quickly cool them down.

6) To make the syrup. In a small cup add sugar and water and microwave the cup for 3-4 minutes. Divide the rubies into equal amounts and set in two bowls. Pour out water from the bowls. Add half of the coconut milk and half of the syrup to make one serving. Serve with crushed ice in the summer time as it makes for a delicious dessert.