Recipe
Pineapple, Coconut and Mango
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Yield:

I have always been dazzled by molecular gastronomy. At the early stage when I was drafting up what to make for the Royal Selangor – Get Your Jelly On– 30-day Challenge, using Royal Selangor Pewter Jelly Mould, I thought of giving molecular cooking a go. Thus, I bought myself a starter kit that I have always been wanting to get my hands on.

For this 17th post, it is truly an experimental dish! I didn’t know what to call it so, I simply name it with the ingredients that I used. I wanted to call it Tagliatelle Carbonara at first, but my Tagliatelle doesn’t seem very visible at the bottom bit. The reason why I wanted to name it as Tagliatelle Carbonara is simply because the top bit, which is made with coconut milk could have been the equivalent of cream. Then, there is this ‘egg yolk’ in the middle and the bottom bit is filled with some strands of tagliatelle shaped jelly. It could have worked out as intended if I didn’t put the tagliatelle jelly in the mould to let it set with the coconut juice! 🙁
The ‘egg yolk’ is made with thick mango juice. This is simply using the Spherification process – Wikiepedia: a culinary process of shaping a liquid into spheres which visually and texturally resemble caviar. The technique was originally discovered by Unilever in the 1950s and brought to the modernist cuisine by the creative team at elBulli under the direction of executive chef Ferran Adrià.

There are two main methods for creating such spheres, which differ based on the calcium content in the product to be spherified. For substances containing no calcium, the liquid is mixed with sodium alginate, and dripped into a cold solution of calcium chloride or calcium carbonate. ‘Reverse’ spherification, for use with substances which contain calcium, requires dripping the substance into an alginate bath. Both methods give the same result: a sphere of liquid held by a thin gel membrane, texturally similar to caviar.
Well, at first, I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to post this, but I thought, hey, why not. It was a very exciting journey that you may find it funny but interesting too! The measurement for this recipe is truly an estimate as it is my first attempt.

Below are some of the shots that I captured during the process of making the perfect ‘egg yolk’ with mango juice. As you can see, the first few trials were total failures!

But a few seconds later, I managed to make an almost perfect shape of ‘yolk’! Practice makes perfect!

Pineapple, Coconut and Mango
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Yield:
Ingredients:
For the Pineapple, Coconut and Mango:
For the coconut layer:
100ml coconut milk
1 tsp Gellan
For the pineapple ‘tagliatelle’:
100ml pineapple juice
2 tsp Gellan
For the mango ‘yolk’:
5 tsp Calcic
130ml cold water
2 tsp Algin
100ml thick mango juice
For the coconut juice layer:
200ml coconut juice
1 tsp Gellan
Method:
1. To make the coconut layer, add Gellan to the coconut milk, whisk until dissolves. Over medium heat, bring it to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour into the mould until 1/3 full. Chill to set.
2. To make the pineapple tagliatelle, mix Gellan to the pineapple juice, whisk until dissolves. Over medium heat, bring it to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour into a big baking dish evenly. Set aside to chill. Once set, cut into 1cm strips.
3. To make the mango ‘yolk’, add Calcic to the water, whisk until dissolves. Then, in a separate bowl, add Algin to the mango juice, whisk until dissolves. Prepare a big bowl of water by the side. Use a tablespoon, scoop a spoonful of the mango mixture and carefully and drop into the Calcic solution to form a round shape. Leave for a few seconds and use a slotted spoon to carefully transfer into the bowl of water set by the side. Leave for 1 minute or so, then use the slotted spoon to carefully take it out, drain on a kitchen paper then and set aside on a plate. Repeat this for the rest.
4. To make the coconut juice layer, add Gellan to the coconut juice, whisk until dissolves. Over medium heat, bring it to the boil. Remove from the heat. Slowly add a mango ‘yolk’, place in the middle, then slowly pour the coconut juice mixture into the mould where the coconut milk layer has already set. Fill it halfway, then add a nest of pineapple tagliatelle. Fill more coconut juice mixture until the mould is full. Chill to set.
I got really excited when reading this post!!! Had my first spherification experience in the form of an onion soup yolk at Bacchus a few years back and I still sometimes think about it! It was wonderful!! I think I will have to get this kit too! Love the way you presented all the components!! 🙂 and well done on your first and successful attempt at molecular gastronomy!!!
The idea of onion soup yolk sounds awesome! You will have lots of fun with the kit!
Leemei, this is so cooooooool. It is like science experiments during school days. I might get a kit to play around with it ha ha…
Yes Gert, it was fun!!
Wow, you are amazing…this is absolutely gorgeous, love every single item…the
“yolks” are very special.
Hope you have a great week and thank you so much for this awesome post 🙂
Thanks Juliana! It was a great experience! Glad you like it.
Wowsers! I’ve always been wanting to get the molecular gastronimy kit but haven’t been brave enough! Well done, great recipe and idea!
Thanks Martyna! You will love the kit!
Interesting science experiment!! Thanks for sharing! 😉
Thanks LK!
I must say that this is definitely of “Master Chef” level – Molecular Gastronomy is what they call it. Well done!!!
It was my first experiment, don’t think I am up to the Master Chef level yet, hehe..
absolutely great combo!
and the tip how to make egg yolk from mango juice is really really cool , thank you thank you 🙂
Thanks, Ira!
I’m really amazed by all your creations. Totally culinary art!
Thanks wiffy!
Hi There, This is looking so delightful and appetizing. A very well made post with beautiful pictures.Loved it. I’ve bookmarked this special recipe of urs and wud love to give it a shot asap. Have a wonderful week ahead. Thanks & Regards, Sonia !!!
Thanks! Give it a go!
This is INSANE! how did you even think that up? i am impressed beyond belief!!! very very well done!
hehe… that was why I couldn’t sleep a few weeks ago!
Gosh!!! Beautiful Mango egg yolk you have overt here and it’s really cool with those experiments!!!!
Thanks Ellena.. it was really fun to make it 😉
Oh no… too technical for me 🙁 …. feels like I am going to fail in my Chemistry subject
but I love the end results… so pretty
Why la you live so far away…*sigh*
oooppss this one look so beautiful to me..technically tricky..but as you say practice make perfect..I will give a try one day..ahaks
Yup, definitely practice makes perfect 😉
Leemei,
What can I say? You blew me away, yet again! That’s one cool science experiment! Best part? It’s EATABLE!! 😀
You know I had absolutely ZERO interest in molecular gastronomy and now you’ve gotten me interested haha. I don’t think I have the patience/money for it right now, but this is really really cool!
Yeah, I never tried it but i have to say it is amazing!
Oh wow, that ‘egg yolk’ even looks like a real yolk with the runny center! How interesting!! Will we be seeing more molecular gastronomy type things in the near future? I suspect I’m to lazy to experiment, but I can live through your experiments and photos… hehe.
awesome