Try these two healthy recipes made from coconut

Coconut is one of the richest source of fats, but eating it helps lose weight. Confused? Try this easy, guilt-free recipe to find out

A popular ingredient in coastal cooking, coconut is known for many health benefits. Though high in saturated fats, coconut speeds up metabolism, which aids weight loss. It is also a good source of dietary fibre. For this edition, our expert chef turns coconut into a guilt-free Burmese dessert.

Chef Ansab Khan, Burma Burma (Photo: Satyabrata Tripathy/HT)

Tagu Piyan (chilled coconut custard with sago)

Recipe by: Ansab Khan, head chef, Burma Burma

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Serves: Two

Ingredients:

Coconut milk: 1 ltr

Agar agar: 15g

Condensed milk: 100ml

Sugar: ½ cup

Sago: 1 cup

Palm jaggery: 1 cup

Brown sugar: 2 tbsp

Fresh grated coconut: ½ coconut

Ingredients for tagu piyan (Photo: Satyabrata Tripathy/HT)

Method:

Soak the agar agar in water, boil coconut milk and add in the soaked agar, condensed milk and sugar. Cook for a few minutes till it thickens to coating consistency. Remove from heat and set it in a tray or round moulds.

Soak the sago in water for 30 minutes.

Boil the sago and palm jaggery separately.

Once the sago turns transparent and is cooked, add in the palm jaggery and brown sugar.

For plating, de-mould the custard on a platter and scoop the centre with a round pastry cutter. Pour the warm sago mixture in the center and garnish with fresh grated coconut and palm jaggery.

Winning reader recipe

Fiery coconut chutney

Recipe by: Aftab Karim

Serves: two

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Coconut slices: 5-6 (half inch thick)

Red chillies: 3-4

Garlic cloves: 5

Oil: 2 tbsp

Salt: as per taste

Method: 

Heat oil in a wok and shallow fry coconut slices till deep golden brown.

Switch off the flame, add red chilly and garlic cloves in the warm oil, let it crackle for a minute and transfer all the ingredients in a grinding jar; let the mixture cool a little.

Add water, salt and grind as per desired consistency (little coarse preferable).

Serve with snacks of your choice.