As a child, my version of a candy store was the desserts trolley at dim sum, especially mango pudding. While I didn’t have a sweet tooth, it just felt magical to see the artistically crafted sweets being wheeled from table to table. I always wanted to be the one pushing the trolley—I imagined myself a skilled server-slash-salesperson, confidently dishing out plates of multi-colored jelly cubes decorated with little toothpick flags, wobbly black sesame rolls, glutinous rice balls blanketed in coconut and, of course, egg tarts.

　　Mango pudding is the a star of the dessert trolley, luminously orange, topped with evaporated milk and light as a feather to eat. This recipe is vegan, using agar agar powder (a jelly-like substance obtained from red algae) to achieve the gelatinous consistency. You’ll find agar agar at specialty grocers or health-food stores.

　　This recipe was excerpted from 'To Asia, With Love' by Hetty McKinnon. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more vegan desserts here and click through for more must-make Hetty McKinnon recipes→

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What you’ll need

　　Chevron

　　Chevron

　　Coconut Milk

　　$19 At Amazon

　　Blender

　　$140 At Amazon

　　Agar Agar

　　$7 At Amazon

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　1 pound cubed mango (from about 3 ripe mangoes), plus 1 extra mango

　　1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk

　　⅓ cup maple syrup

　　1 tsp. agar agar powder

　　

Step 1

Set aside one-quarter of the cubed mango and 3 tablespoons of the coconut milk.

　　

Step 2

Place the remaining cubed mango, remaining coconut milk and maple syrup in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.

　　

Step 3

Pour the blitzed mango into a saucepan and whisk in the agar agar powder. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, whisking constantly, until the agar agar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened. This should take about 5–7 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Cut the extra mango into slightly smaller cubes and divide among four bowls. Pour the mango and coconut mixture over the top and place in the fridge for 2 hours to set. Just before serving, top with the reserved mango cubes and drizzle with the reserved coconut milk.

　　Adapted from To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon. Copyright 2020 by Hetty McKinnon. Published by Prestel, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Reprinted with permission.