Sweets and drinksChilled DessertsVietnamAbout 1 hour including the ice bath
Coc lac with shrimp salt and brown sugar gives a box of crisp ambarella, salty, sweet and hot, and very moreish as a snack. The difficulty is getting the seasoning to coat evenly without the fruit weeping.
The dry seasoning goes on a little at a time over several rounds, with a hard shake between each, rather than all in one go. Ambarella is crisp to begin with, so 30 minutes in iced water is enough.
This batch weighs about 1.2kg, at roughly 64 calories per 100g.
Method
Wash 1 kg of green Thai ambarella, drain it, peel it and cut each fruit in half.
Mix half of the 45g portion of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and half the finely ground chili powder with 50 ml of good quality fish sauce, heat over low heat until fully dissolved, then take it off to cool.
Soak the halved fruit in a basin of cold water with ice for about 30 minutes, then lift it out and drain.
Toss the fruit with the cooled fish sauce mixture, mixing thoroughly so it soaks in.
Mix the remaining kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and chili powder with 25 g of shrimp salt into a dry mixture.
Put the fruit in a plastic box with a lid, scatter the dry mixture in a little at a time over several rounds, shaking hard and evenly between each.
Chill in the fridge and enjoy.
Tips
Ambarella is crisp to begin with, so 30 minutes in iced water is enough, unlike the longer soak used for shaken mango.
Scattering the dry seasoning a little at a time over several rounds is what coats the fruit evenly.
Shrimp salt varies in saltiness from one maker to the next, so a taste comes before the rest goes on.
The fish sauce mixture has to be completely cool before it is tossed through, as heat softens the fruit and draws water out.
The same day is when this eats best, since standing draws water out and washes the seasoning off.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.