Food Feature: Nam Wan (Tapioca & Coconut Dessert) *Part 1*

Nam Wan is a simple and easy dessert anyone can make. If you know how to boil, use a can opener and have a little patience, this will be an easy recipe for you. It's also affordable (less than $10 for all the ingredients) and did I mention, delicious?

I made Nam Wan not once, but twice over the weekend. The first night, I got together with some friends and it got a little hectic in the kitchen (we were also making ka poon), so I wasn't able to capture the whole process. Two days later, I made Nam Wan for my mom who said she was craving for some nam wan.

There are two parts of this dish. The 1st part is the tapioca and fruits mixture. The 2nd part is making the coconut & caramel sauce.

Ingredients:
-Tapioca balls (1 pack)
-Sugar (1.5-2 cups)
-Coconut milk (1-2 cans)
-Jackfruit (canned or frozen)
-Coconut strips
-Coconut Jelly
-Grass Jelly
-Palm seed

Step 1: Boil the tapioca balls. The tricky part about boiling these ity bity tapioca balls is that if you overdo it, it turns all gooey. I suggest waiting for the water to almost reach a boil, then throw in the balls and turn the heat down to medium-high. Stir constantly.


You will know when the tapioca is ready when it starts to turn clear, but there is a little white dot inside the tapioca balls. Drain the tapioca and let sit in cold water for a few minutes to cool down. Place tapioca is a colandar.


You can mix Nam Wan with various fruits. I usually like coconut strips, jackfruit, coconut jelly, grass jelly and palm seeds. Other items you can add in Nam Wan: water chestnuts, red bean, longans, various fruits, etc..

Pictured below: Coconut strips (top), jackfruit (middle), palm seeds (lower left), coconut jelly (lower right)


Voila! I like to add a little bit of coconut milk to the tapioca and fruit mixture so the tapioca doesn't bunch up and stick together.


Stay tuned for Part 2, where I show you how to make the Coconut Milk & Caramel sauce for Nam Wan.

The final product with the Coconut & Caramel sauce mixed in should look like this...... yuuummmmm!