This mango pudding is a classic Hong Kong style dessert that you'll find served in many Chinese restaurants. It's packed with mango flavor, with a jello-like but smooth, gently creamy texture. Such a delicious fruity treat.
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Mango has long been one of my favorite fruits, and my younger son is my partner in crime in loving all things mango. We'll both happily devour it straight from the skin ("hedgehog" style as we call it) but also enjoy it in various desserts.
Mango panna cotta and mango passion fruit Eton mess are already long term favorites, and I recently introduced him to this lovely set pudding, too. He was an instant fan.
What are the origins of mango pudding?
Mango pudding is a bit of an imperialist legacy. This version is often called Chinese mango pudding, as other versions exist such as in India, also as a result of colonial influences.
Without going too much into the political ins and outs, Great Britain managed to acquire Hong Kong on a 100 year "lease" from China during the Victorian era.
As with most colonial ventures, the legacy was mixed. The British brought disease and racism, but also helped create the economic wealth that Hong Kong became known for, as well as bringing democracy. I grew up with a few friends who had moved to the UK as a result of being able to obtain British citizenship during that time.
While pudding is often used in British-English to mean any dessert, it also more specifically applies to a couple of specific types. One, that remains popular, is the warm steamed style (or now often baked), like sticky toffee pudding.
Then there are cold set puddings, in the UK traditionally blancmange that's gone out of fashion, but it's related to the Italian panna cotta and Catalan menjarblanc. This derives from the latter.
Mangoes are a popular fruit in the tropics, and so it's probably no surprise they were incorporated into a dessert like this. It's continued to be a popular dessert to this day, and I can understand why.
Ingredients in mango pudding (and substitutions)
This dessert uses just a short list of ingredients, though a couple you can vary to taste:
- Mango - the star ingredient! More on what to look for below.
- Sugar - you don't need too much, but just a little to help sweeten the dessert. You could also use honey, if you prefer, but you may need to experiment with quantity.
- Gelatin - this is what helps the pudding set. You use more than you would in a panna cotta, as the texture is more jello/jelly-like than that. If you want to make the dessert vegetarian, you can substitute agar agar, but you will need a bit less (around half, maybe less - check package for recommendation for liquid volume). Again, you may need to experiment with exactly how much.
- Water - you use a little to help bloom the gelatin.
- Coconut milk - coconut and mango are a perfect pairing flavor-wise. You don't want so much that it takes over from the mango in flavor, but enough for a slightly creamy texture. Coconut means it's dairy free, but you can also use evaporated milk instead, if you prefer, or cream.
As well as being just a short list, this dessert is also nice and easy to make, and it's handily prepared ahead of time, too.
What type of mango is best?
I highly recommend fresh mango for this, as I think the flavor is generally better. We are managing to get the small champagne mangoes at the moment that are great for this as they are almost stringless. But any mango with a good flavor, and low amount of stringiness will be good.
Make sure you use really ripe mangoes for this. If the mangoes are not that ripe, the pudding can become sour. If you can't get good fresh mangoes, you might be better using either frozen or canned mango, either as chunks or mango puree. Be sure to defrost frozen mangoes before using. Though as I say, I highly recommend fresh if at all possible.
Whatever mango you use, make sure you blend it really well. You want a really smooth mango puree to ensure the pudding is also smooth.
Steps to make this simple mango pudding
To make this dessert all you do is:
- Bloom the gelatin powder in cold water - it may look a little strange as it swells up but this helps to ensure it absorbs liquid evenly and so you don't get lumps in the end dessert.
- Blend up the mango - to ensure it's really smooth. If you have any doubts about how well blended it is, or if there is some stringiness, then strain after blending to have a really smooth mango pulp.
- Warm the mango, coconut milk, sugar and bloomed gelatin in a small pan - warming both dissolves the sugar and melts the gelatin so it dissolves and distributes evenly. DO NOT LET IT BOIL! It's really important that you only warm gently, until everything is dissolved, then stop. Too much heat stops gelatin from working properly, so the dessert may not set. Also, the coconut milk may separate, too. So low heat, short time, stop.
- Transfer to dishes and refrigerate - you typically divide this into individual portions before it sets. You can use custard dishes, as I did here, glasses, ramekins or you can pour into moulds. If in moulds, you then transfer to plates to serve after it sets. Refrigerate for two hours to set, or you can leave overnight.
To serve, you often add a little extra coconut milk or evaporated milk over the dessert. And maybe a few chunks of fresh mango, too. But even just as it is will be delicious.
Hong Kong style mango pudding is a classic end to a dim sum meal, and just as easy to make at home, too. It's fruity, creamy, with a lovely flavor and jiggly texture. Definitely one to enjoy soon.
Try these other make ahead desserts:
- Passion fruit mousse (another lovely creamy tropical dessert)
- Strawberry tiramisu (a strawberry twist on the classic)
- Rote Grütze (a lovely easy thickened berry dessert)
- Rhubarb fool (a lovely simple combination of fruit and cream)
- Plus get more dessert recipes and Chinese recipes in the archives.
Mango pudding
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon gelatin (powder)
- 12 oz mango see notes
- ⅔ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin powder over the top. Set aside for a couple minutes to "bloom" (swell up) while you prepare the mango and measure out other ingredients. It will look odd as it swells, but don't worry.
- Cut the mango into dice, removing skin and the stone. You can do this as you prefer, but I generally cut cheeks off either side of the stone, score in a cross pattern then pop open to give cubes (see the piece open up in ingredients photo above) that you can then easily cut off. Try to remove any obviously stringy pieces as you go.
- Once you have cut enough mango, place in a blender and blend until really smooth. If you have any doubt about it being smooth or if the mango was a little stringy, then also strain the mango with a fine strainer to remove any stringiness.
- Place the coconut milk, mango puree, sugar and bloomed gelatin mixture in a small pan. Warm over a relatively low heat, stirring almost constantly, to mix everything together and dissolve both the sugar and gelatin. Take care that it doesn't get too hot - DO NOT BOIL. The gelatin will start out as being in clumps but will gradually melt into the mixture. Once you can't see any pieces of gelatin and the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat.
- Divide the mixture between custard dishes, ramekins, glasses or moulds as you prefer. Gently tap the top if needed to pop any bubbles. Transfer the puddings to the fridge to set - they need at least two hours.
- Serve chilled, either as they are or with a drizzle of coconut milk or evaporated milk, and a few cubes of fresh mango.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Angelo Russo says
Can I use Agar agar?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes you could - agar agar is generally stronger so check the package to see the suggestion for the amount of liquid you have (use volume of both mango, water and coconut milk, so one recipe quantity is about 2 cups). It is likely around 1/2 of gelatin amount, maybe less.