Durian Tang Yuan

    Durian mochi/tang yuan--sooner or later someone will come up with this or maybe someone already has but this is my version.

I had a bit of leftover durian flesh and had no idea what to do with it. Then I saw a copy of Silkroad, the Dragonair inflight magazine that Yo had brought for me. The latest issue featured Hong Kong dessert houses and the new desserts, the most unusual one being a bitter gourd sherbet. Now that's a dessert I can't wait to try next time. It must be quite an eating experience!

Instead of red bean or sesame paste, I filled my tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) with the lefttover mashed durian flesh, sprinkled some dessicated coconut (fresh shaved coconut would've been perfect but I was too lazy to run out for that) over and drizzled a light gula melaka (palm sugar, the best-tasting sugar in the world) syrup over. I served the tang yuan warm because tang yuen hardens when chilled.

The durian-filled tang yuan, covered with sweet coconut flakes and gula melaka, was stunning. I hope this has not already been done before because I'm patenting this for my dessert house! I'm kidding but I think if I have a dessert house, this item will be a huge hit. If there's one thing I've gained from the Jelliriffic! Challenge, it's the obsession in creating new recipes. The mushy durian is a little bit tricky to handle but you can half-freeze it. You must make this.

    How good can durian get? This good.

Durian Tang Yuan (makes 7 to 8 balls)
3/4 cup finest, freshest glutinous rice flour
1/4 cup room temp water
1/4 cup durian flesh, mashed with a fork and hard clumps removed & half-frozen
Topping: fresh or desiccated coconut shavings
              light gula melaka syrup*

* if not available, any other sugar syrup

1. Mix the flour with the water until the dough comes together. You may have to add more flour or water. Divide into 7 or 8 small portions.
2. Dust your palms, roll one portion of dough into a smooth ball, then press it into a flat circle (not too thin or the durian will seep through) and put a teaspoon of durian flesh inside. Pinch the edges together to seal and roll again into a smooth ball. Repeat until all the dough is done. Place tang yuan into fridge to firm up, about 15 minutes.
3. Bring a pot of water to boil. Take the tang yuan out from the fridge. Dust your hands again with glu rice flour, roll the tang yuan between your palms until round and smooth and drop them into the boiling water. Immediately use a pair of chopsticks or slotted spoon to move the balls so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat to medium. When the balls rise, they are done. I like to switch the fire off, cover the pot and wait a couple of minutes.
4. Scoop the balls out with a slotted spoon onto a bowl. Sprinkle coconut shavings over and drizzle with sugar syrup.