One of the desserts my mama always make during All Saint's Day is Maja Blanca. Now that the ladle has been passed on to me, I've tried a different take on this Filipino dessert and used red mung beans instead of corn. This dessert is now called Maja Monggo

With this week's ASEAN Hive Challenge, ASEAN Chef: Coconuts, it's time to share one of our favorite Filipino desserts!

Maja Blanca is sometimes called coconut pudding as one of its ingredients is coconut milk then topped with toasted coconut milk curd. This dessert is semi-sweet and its soft pudding texture makes it addicting to eat. For Maja Blanca which uses corn on its ingredients, they also add some grated cheddar cheese on top.

These recipe I used is from my favorite chef vlogger, Chef RV. It was through him that I learned about red mung beans as another option in replacement for corn on Maja Blanca. And as expected his recipe tasted really good!

Now let's begin!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 Cups coconut milk
1 Cup evaporated milk
1/2 Cup white sugar
1 Cup powdered milk
1 Cup red mung bean
2 Cups water
1/4 Cup butter
Pinch of salt
200 ml coconut milk (for topping)

PROCEDURE

(1) On a pot, put coconut milk, evaporated milk, sugar, powdered milk, and cornstarch. Mix until well combined.

(2) Then add water. Mix again

(3) Next, add the red mung bean. Don't mix it too hard so the beans don't get completely crushed.

(4) Add pinch of salt. Mix.

(5) Put the pot on stove on medium heat and mix continuously until mixture becomes thick. It is important to keep mixing it because the cornstarch will settle at the bottom and form clumps. We don't want that, right?

(6) Turn off flame and add butter. Mix until butter has melted and mixed with the maja monggo.

(7) Have your containers prepared ahead because the maja monggo mixture will set immediately soon after it becomes thick. Quickly pour them into containers once the Maja Monggo becomes thick. Even out the mixture to easily spread the toppings later on. Then set aside.

(8) To make the toasted coconut topping, heat coconut milk on and occasionally mix until curd forms. Don't over toast the coconut or else it will taste bitter.

(9) Separate the coconut curd from the oil and spread the curd evenly on top of the Maja Monggo.

(10) Let the Maja Monggo cool down to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. Chill it for a few hours or at least half day or until the Maja Monggo becomes firm.

Slice and serve! ♡

🩷 Yummy Coconut and Red Mung Bean Dessert! 🩷

Maja Monggo is one Filipino dessert that is very easy to make! My only struggle is making the toasted coconut milk curd because it takes a while to toast it.

I always make one during All Saint's Day because my mama loves making it during this occasion. I hope it makes her happy that her favorite dessert will always be present on this special occasion.

Maja Monggo is best eaten when chilled. I'm pretty sure anyone here can easily make this dessert as the ingredients are very easy to find! Enjoy!

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Thanks for reading! 💚