Cha Houy Teuk

Ingredients

Agar jelly

• 1 litrewater
• 8 gagar agar powder
• 100 gsugar
• a few drops of food colouring
• or 1 tin grass jelly, cubed

Sago

• 100 gsmall sago or tapioca pearls
• water, for boiling

Basil seed

• 3 tablespoonssweet basil seed
• 300 mlwater, for soaking

Coconut syrup

• 600 mlcoconut milk
• 150 gpalm sugar
• 100 mlwater
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 1pandan leaf, knotted

To serve

• shaved or crushed ice
• sweetcorn kernels, optional
• jackfruit strips, optional
• plastic cups and long spoons

Directions

1. Put the water in a pan and whisk in the agar. Whisk it while the water is still cold. Adding agar to hot water gives lumps. Add the sugar and the food colouring. Bring it to a full boil, whisking constantly.
2. Let it boil for a full two minutes. Pour it out into a shallow tray. Let it set at room temperature. It sets within about thirty minutes. Cut it up into small even cubes. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Use far more water than seems necessary. Sprinkle the pearls in while stirring.
3. Stir constantly for the first minute. They stick together in a lump otherwise. Boil them for about ten minutes. Judging the sago takes a look. Take the pot off the heat at that point.
4. Cover it and let it stand for ten minutes. Then drain and rinse them in cold water. Keep them in cold water until you need them. Soaking the basil seed takes no work. Put the basil seed into a bowl. Pour plenty of cold water over it. Leave it for about fifteen minutes. Do not soak them in the coconut milk.
5. Put the palm sugar and water in a pan. Add the knotted pandan leaf to it. Heat it gently until the sugar dissolves. Palm sugar comes in hard discs and needs breaking.
6. Chop it or grate it before it goes in. Warm it through without letting it boil. Let it cool completely and then chill it. Assembling the cups is done to order. Take a tall plastic cup or a glass. Add a spoonful of each of the jellies.
7. Add a spoonful of sago pearls. Add a spoonful of soaked basil seed. Add sweetcorn or jackfruit if you want them. Fill the cup with shaved or crushed ice. Now pour the cold coconut syrup over everything.

Technique

• The Cambodian hot season runs from March to May, and iced desserts like this are sold from market stalls throughout it.
• Agar is a seaweed setting agent that must be boiled to activate, and it sets much firmer than gelatine.

Substitutions

• Tinned grass jelly is widely sold and saves making agar jelly from scratch.
• Chia seeds behave similarly to basil seed, though they swell more slowly.

Variations

• Stalls offer a dozen or more toppings and customers choose their own.
• A version with red bean or with palm seed is also sold.
• Similar iced coconut desserts are eaten across mainland Southeast Asia.

History

Agar jelly in coconut milk with basil seed, sold in plastic cups at markets during the hot season.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cha Houy Teuk?

Cha Houy Teuk is a dessert from Cambodia: shaved-ice dessert with grass jelly, sago and coconut milk. Agar jelly in coconut milk with basil seed, sold in plastic cups at markets during the hot season.

How long does Cha Houy Teuk take to make?

Cha Houy Teuk takes 30 minutes plus setting of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Cha Houy Teuk?

Yes, within limits. Tinned grass jelly is widely sold and saves making agar jelly from scratch. Chia seeds behave similarly to basil seed, though they swell more slowly.

What is the most important thing to get right in Cha Houy Teuk?

Stir constantly for the first minute. They stick together in a lump otherwise. Boil them for about ten minutes. Judging the sago takes a look. Take the pot off the heat at that point.