Mont Let Hsaung

Ingredients

The dumplings

• 200 gglutinous rice flour
• about 140 ml warm water
• a pinch of salt

The tapioca

• 100 gsmall tapioca pearls
• plenty of water, for boiling

The syrup

• 250 gjaggery
• or palm sugar, chopped
• 300 mlwater
• a pinch of salt

The coconut

• 400 mlthick coconut cream
• a pinch of salt

To serve

• crushed ice
• or ice cubes
• toasted sesame seeds, optional
• a little grated coconut

Directions

1. Put the glutinous rice flour in a bowl. Add the pinch of salt to it as well. Add warm water gradually as you work. Bring it together into a dough. Add it in just a little at a time. Stop when it just comes together. Add water if it cracks when rolled. Add flour if it sticks to your hands. Work it until it is quite smooth. Shaping them is straightforward enough.
2. Pinch off small pieces of dough. Roll each one into a small ball. Make them about a centimetre across. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the balls in a few at a time. Too many at once cools the water. Work in batches rather than all at once. Judging them takes a careful look.
3. Lift them into a bowl of cold water. Cold water stops them cooking further. Leave them there until you need them. Bring plenty of water to a boil. Add all of the tapioca pearls. Tapioca needs a great deal of water.
4. Stir it as soon as the pearls go in. They fuse into a lump if they do. Stir immediately and then regularly. Cooking them takes about fifteen minutes. Let them boil for about fifteen minutes. Judging them takes a careful look. Take the pot off and let it stand covered. Drain the tapioca into a sieve. Rinse it thoroughly under cold water.
5. Rinse until the water runs clear. Keeping them cold is worth doing. Keep the pearls in cold water. Drain them just before serving. Put the jaggery in a pan with the water. Add the pinch of salt to it as well. Warm it gently until it dissolves. It stops the syrup tasting flat. Let it simmer for about five minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve.
6. Let the syrup cool completely. Then refrigerate it until cold. Warm syrup melts the ice immediately. Chill everything before assembling. Stir a pinch of salt into the coconut cream. Salt in coconut cream is standard here.
7. Drain the dumplings and the tapioca. Put some of each in a bowl or glass. Adjust it all to your own taste. Do not overfill the bowl with solids. Ladle jaggery syrup over them. It should be sweet but not cloying. Start with less and then add more. Add crushed ice quite generously. Add it generously rather than sparingly. Pour the salted coconut cream over the top.
8. Scatter toasted sesame seeds over it. Serving it is always done immediately. Serve it while the ice is still solid. It does not keep at all once assembled.

Technique

• The dumplings sink at first and float to the surface when cooked; give them two more minutes after floating, then lift them into cold water, which stops them cooking further and keeps them from sticking together.
• Tapioca needs plenty of water and stirring the moment the pearls go in, since they sink and fuse into a lump otherwise. When a small white dot remains in the centre, take the pot off and let it stand covered — the residual heat clears it without overcooking the outside. Then rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear.
• Chill the syrup and coconut cream before assembling, since warm syrup melts the ice immediately and waters the whole thing down. Salt goes into the coconut cream as standard, balancing the sweetness and making the coconut taste richer.

Substitutions

• Palm sugar is the nearest substitute for jaggery, and dark muscovado works at a push.
• Glutinous rice flour is despite its name gluten free — the word refers to the glue-like chewy texture.

Variations

• Strain the jaggery syrup, since the sugar often contains grit and fibre.
• Crushed ice chills it faster than cubes and melts into it more evenly.
• It is stirred before drinking, and eaten with a spoon as much as drunk.

History

A Burmese hot-season cooler, ladled from stalls near markets and pagodas through the summer months.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mont Let Hsaung?

Mont Let Hsaung is a dessert from Myanmar: rice dumplings and tapioca in jaggery syrup with coconut cream and ice. A Burmese hot-season cooler, ladled from stalls near markets and pagodas through the summer months.

How long does Mont Let Hsaung take to make?

Mont Let Hsaung takes 30 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Mont Let Hsaung?

Yes, within limits. Palm sugar is the nearest substitute for jaggery, and dark muscovado works at a push. Glutinous rice flour is despite its name gluten free — the word refers to the glue-like chewy texture.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mont Let Hsaung?

Pinch off small pieces of dough. Roll each one into a small ball. Make them about a centimetre across. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the balls in a few at a time. Too many at once cools the water. Work in batches rather than all at once. Judging them takes a careful look.