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1
Mix the Cornstarch Slurry
5 Mins
Room temperature, 20°C (68°F)
Put the cornstarch in a small bowl and pour in 100 ml of cold water. Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and milky, with no white lumps and no starch sitting on the bottom — lift the whisk and check. If the slurry sits for more than a minute it settles, so give it a quick stir again just before you use it.
Use a whisk, not a spoon: a spoon leaves lumps of dry starch at the bottom of the bowl.
Done when: A smooth, milky liquid with no lumps and no settled starch.
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2
Heat the Coconut Milk
5 Mins
Gentle heat, about 85°C (185°F)
Pour the coconut milk and the remaining 100 ml of water into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla and stir. Warm over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved and the milk is hot and steaming — about 85°C (185°F). Do not let it boil hard: a rolling boil can split the coconut milk and give the pudding a grainy finish.
Stir with a wooden spoon and watch the edges of the pan: the first tiny bubbles at the edge mean it is hot enough.
Done when: The milk is steaming, the sugar has dissolved, and the surface is just trembling, not boiling.
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3
Thicken Until Glossy
5 Mins
Medium heat, about 90°C (195°F)
Give the slurry one last stir, then pour it into the hot milk in a thin stream, whisking all the time. Keep whisking over medium heat: within 2–3 minutes the mixture thickens suddenly and turns glossy, coating the back of a spoon so that a line drawn through it holds. Take the pan off the heat as soon as it reaches this point — cooking it longer makes the pudding rubbery instead of smooth.
Do not stop whisking while the starch goes in: the thickening happens fast, and a pause leaves lumps.
Done when: A thick, glossy cream that coats a spoon and holds a drawn line.
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4
Pour Into Shells and Chill
10 Mins + 2 Hours Chilling
Chill at 4°C (39°F)
Pour the hot pudding into the four coconut shell halves, dividing it evenly — about 185 g in each shell. Smooth the tops with the back of a spoon and leave the shells on the tray until they are cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Cover loosely with cling film, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the pudding is cold, firm and set — it should hold its shape when the shell is tilted and wobble gently like a jelly when the tray is tapped.
Pour while the pudding is still hot and runny: once it starts to cool in the pan it sets in lumps that cannot be smoothed.
Done when: The pudding is cold and set, smooth on top, and holds its shape when the shell is tilted.
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5
Serve Chilled From the Shell
5 Mins
Serve cold, about 4°C (39°F)
Take the shells out of the fridge just before serving and sprinkle the toasted coconut flakes over the top of each pudding. Eat it cold, straight from the shell with a spoon — the shell is the bowl, not part of the meal. Offer fresh tropical fruit on the side if you like.
Add the flakes at the last moment: they go soft if they sit on the cold pudding.
Done when: Cold, smooth pudding in its shell, with crisp golden flakes on top.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve each shell cold with toasted coconut flakes on top. This solomon islands coconut pudding recipe should taste clean and gently sweet, with a smooth, cool, coconut-white set — not baked, not starchy, and not heavy.
Solomon Islands
1h 20m
Spain
Vietnam