Coconut Water Jelly Cubes

Credit to the Original Owner

Bua Loy is a traditional and delightful Thai dessert that features vibrant, colorful, and chewy rice flour balls served in warm, sweet, and fragrant coconut milk. This simple yet deeply comforting treat is beloved across Thailand for its rich, harmonious flavors and its smooth, satisfying texture that brings a sense of warmth and nostalgia with every bite.

Coconut Water Jelly Cubes

Ingredients

• 4 cups UFC coconut water

• 1 tablespoon (8 g) agar agar powder (see note)

• 6 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)

• Fruit of your choice: I used mango, pineapple, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, mandarin slices, and kiwi fruit. Make sure the fruits are good! If they're not ripe or sweet, the dessert won't be good.

• 1.25” silicone cube mold, or another mold of your choice (silicone will make it easier to unmold)

Instructions

Prep the fruit:

1. For fruits that are smaller than the mold (blueberries, blackberries, mandarin slices) leave them whole. For larger fruit, cut them into small pieces no larger than ¾ inch. For strawberries, choose a small one and cut them in half.

2. Place fruit into the molds, a few pieces per piece if they're small, but make sure you don't crowd the mold or the jelly won't be able to hold together. You want to leave plenty of room around the fruit so that it will be well surrounded by the jelly.

Make the jelly:

Put 2 ½  cups of the coconut water in a small pot, sprinkle agar agar powder on top and stir.

1. Turn the heat on and bring to a full boil while stirring frequently. Once it comes to a full boil, turn off the heat, then check that the agar agar powder has fully dissolved by spooning some liquid into a metal spoon, then pour the liquid off and look to see that there are no specks of agar powder remaining on the spoon.If there are specks keep heating and stirring till they're gone.
   

2. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.

3. Add the remaining 1 ½ cups of coconut water to help cool it down faster. If using delicate fruits that turn soft easily like strawberries, don't do this until it's warm (you should be able to put your finger in it with no problem) so that it won't cook the fruit and turn it mushy. You can start using it on other sturdier fruits first (pineapple, mangoes, mandarin oranges will do fine) and come back for the delicate ones once it's cool enough.

Assembly

Transfer the coconut water into a container with a pouring spout. Fill each mold with the coconut water until it just comes under the rim (don't let it flow over or the pieces will be connected together at the top and won't have clean sides).

1. Let cool until at least the top is set (for easy no-spill transport), then move them to the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours so they will be nice and cold for serving.

2. To unmold: simply turn it upside down, holding it slightly above a serving plate, then push on the bottoms of all the pieces until they slide out. If you're using a hard mold, you can insert a toothpick into the side while holding it upside down over a plate, then push it slightly and it should slide out easily.

3. Flip them upside down for serving. Enjoy!

5. In a large pot of water, bring water to a boil. Slowly add the rice balls to the boiling water and cook for a couple of minutes until they float to the surface. It only takes 1-2 minutes to cook the rice balls, so have a slotted spoon and ice bath ready.

6. Remove the cooked balls from the hot water with a slotted spoon and place them in a large bowl of cold water to prevent sticking. Keep working until the balls are all cooked. 

7. In a separate small saucepan, on medium heat, heat coconut milk with sugar and pandan leaves until the sugar dissolves. Let it simmer on the low heat while cooking the rice balls.

Remove the pandan leaves before serving.

8. Add the colorful balls into the pot with the coconut milk, and let it soak in the flavors while you prepare a bowl or two for serving. 

9. Now, the final step. Serve the cooked rice balls in coconut milk sauce.