I am falling in love with kanten all over again. Summer = = cool, fruity desserts. Like mango kanten! Sometimes mango kanten comes out like this:
And that’s fine. It’s actually quite pudding-like. But, I kinda like it to be firmer, more like yokan.*
Mango Kanten
- 1 can of sweetened mango puree ($3.49 for 30 oz – I used Ashoka, a brand sold in Indian markets);
- 2 cups of water;
- 4 grams of powdered kanten (about $.50 worth);
- sugar to taste (optional); and
- lime slices (optional).
Boil the water. Add the puree. Mix, mix, mix. Once the temperature rises again to barely a simmer, add the powder. Mix, mix, mix. You want to avoid lumping! Taste it. Add sugar/sweetener if necessary. Pour into a 9″ pie plate (it will just barely fit). Let it cool to room temperature. Then cover with wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Cut it into squares and serve. Makes a lot…at least eight or nine servings (turns out to be about $.50 per serving or less). Squeeze a bit of lime if you have it – I kinda like the contrast with the dense mango flavor.
*One of these days, I will have to make a tea-flavored yokan (photo displayed here by kind permission of ya ma):
P.S. I had no idea that people prepare kanten in Mumbai…interesting!
P.P.S. Here is some gratuitous food porn, of castella (fantabulous Japanese dessert by way of the Portuguese):
It’s something you can enjoy even if it’s cold and gloomy out!
I love sweets, but, I don’t make very many…I guess I’m trying to be more daring about my desserts! So, here are some other recipes I’ve blogged about that are perfect for you if you are a novice like me:
Dude, where's the stove? 
I didn’t have much success pomegranate—it was fine as soon as it set, but I refrigerated some for the next day. The pomegrante liquified in the fridge by the next morning. I think there is an enzyme in the juice that breaks down the agar agar.
Interesting! Maybe also the acidity was a challenge…?
Your puddings look so good – I have never made a mango pudding before and now, I can do so with your recipe. Thanks! 😀
Oh my gosh! that makes me SO happy!!! Please enjoy :-)!!!
I just made an avocado kanten! I’ll be posting about it in a few days, but it was very interesting. Found the recipe in “The Enlightened Kitchen,” by Mari Fujii. It’s a book about temple food in Japan.
Oh cool! Is that something that people serve in the temple?
Japanese temple food is vegetarian food eaten by Japanese Buddhist monks. In other countries (I think) Buddhists might eat dairy foods occasionally, but in Japan, traditional temple cuisine uses no animal products.
The food is not eaten IN the temples, but around them—people visit/tour the temples and often eat on the temple grounds. It’s not part of a relegious service. It appears that many Japanese people follow both Buddhism and Shintoism. Not quite in a secular way, but perhaps almost—depending on the occasion, the families, and something like “behaving properly” that I don’t understand.
Odd, but vegetarians will have a difficult time eating in Japan because so many dishes rely on dashi that is usually made with bonito flakes (fish). Odd also because many Westerners view Japanese food as light on meat, so (I think) many young vegetarians think Japan would be a fun place to have an adventure teaching English there.
I’m 1/2 Japanese, so, I like to think of myself as having fewer preconceptions about Japanese foods….but I thought I thought avocado was a bit avant garde for serving in a Japanese temple! It’s always so fascinating to see how people express their faiths / values in their foods…keeping kosher, Chinese monk’s food, etc. – in that way, each meal is a reminder of life’s beauty and bounty.
There’s also this notion of “flexitarianism” – eating vegetarian most of the time…I think it’s interesting…getting most of the benefit of vegetarianism with a lot less effort!
the mango kanten was so delicious and i like it so much♥♥♥
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