Another really delicious coconutty dessert!

Today is my daughter's birthday.  One of her favorite desserts is coconut sticky rice with mango, the kind you can get at a Thai restaurant.  Although I'm a huge fan of sticky rice, I really love tapioca.  So, for my daughter's birthday, I decided to try a recipe using the flavors of her favorite dessert with tapioca.  It turned out YUMMY and was so easy to make!

I found the recipe in a Bon Appetit magazine from 2007.  Here is my edited version.

Process in a blender for 20  seconds
   2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
   1 inch piece of galangal, peeled and sliced
   10 Thai basil leaves
   6 fresh cilantro sprigs
   2 kaffir lime leaves OR 2 t grated lime peel
   1 stalk lemongrass, sliced

Bring to a boil and let steep for 20 minutes
   the above blended ingredients
   2 cups of water

Strain into a saucepan, add the following, and bring to a boil
   2 cups milk
   1/2 cup sugar

Stir in
   1/2 cup small pearl tapioca (not quick-cooking)

Return to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until thickened and reduced to about 2 1/4 cups.  (This might take 20 to 30 minutes)

Stir in
   1 can coconut milk

Refrigerate overnight.  (It will seem runny, but will thicken up overnight)

When ready to serve, scope into serving dishes and top with chopped mango that has been tossed with a little lime juice and some cayenne pepper.

Don't be put off by the unusual list of ingredients.  All these things can be found at any Asian market (like the ones on Calhoun St. in Fort Wayne.)  Galangal is a root that looks a lot like ginger root but it has a much paler skin color and is harder to peel.  Lemongrass is a grassy stalk with a tough outer coating.  Cut off the root and only use the white part along with the first little bit from the green section.  Kaffir leaves are the leaves off a special variety of lime tree.  The have a glossy sheen on one side.  If you can't find them, use lime peel.