Coconut granita with bird's nest, mulberries, yoghurt and mochi

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This unusual Chinese coconut-based dessert represents two things: the tropical climate of Hainan on China's southern coast, and how a unique ingredient such as bird's nest can be enjoyed because of its cultural significance – something that can have a tangible effect on its actual taste.

For more information on the inspiration behind this dish, read Mukta Das' article.

First published in 2020

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Bird's nest

  • 8g of dried bird's nest, red or white
  • 6 goji berries
  • 200ml of apple juice

Coconut granita

Red wine liquor

Method

1
Soak the bird’s nest in cold water and leave in the fridge for 24 hours. Halfway through the soaking time, drain and refresh the water
  • 8g of dried bird's nest, red or white
2
Place the coconut water in a freezable container and season with a pinch of sugar. Freeze until solid
3
Once the bird’s nest has been soaking for 24 hours, drain and place in a pan with the goji berries. Cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 50 minutes
  • 6 goji berries
4
Meanwhile, make the red wine liquor. Place all the ingredients in a small pan and bring to a simmer, then leave to reduce by a quarter. Leave to cool then store in the fridge
5
Once the bird’s nest and berries have finished simmering, drain both and submerge them in the apple juice, which will give them a boost of sweetness. Store in the fridge until needed
6
Place the halved blackberries and dried mulberries in two separate bowls and pour over the cooled red wine liquor. Set aside for 5 minutes
7
When ready to serve, cut the ball of coconut mochi ice cream into twelve equal segments and remove the frozen coconut water from the freezer. Use a fork to grate the block into a granita
8
Divide the yoghurt between the 2 serving plates and drain the berries from the red wine liquor. Place the mulberries and some of the blackberries on top of the yoghurt, along with the segments of mochi. Top with pieces of the bird’s nest and sprinkle over some lemon zest. Finish with a generous amount of granita (with the remaining blackberries studded throughout), before placing pieces of mint leaf on top. Serve immediately

After a tour of the kitchens and restaurants of China, Andrew Wong returned to his parents' restaurant in London and transformed it into a temple of regional Chinese cuisine.

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