My sophomore year of college, I was lucky enough to share a "house" with three friends. This house had a kitchen. Because of that, I opted not to have a meal plan and eat at home most of the time. I can't say that I was a great cook then... I'll admit to making Ramen Noodles on more than one occasion.
One day, my roommate, who hales from Hawaii, decided to make a Hawaiian treat for all of us... haupia.
I had never had this before, nor had my fellow roommates, but we all decided to give it a try. I don't think anyone else liked it. But I loved it and asked for the recipe. I have carried this recipe with me since, making it on the occasions where I need a coconut fix.
Haupia is basically like a coconut jello. I've since had something similar at a Chinese restaurant while having Dim Sum. Though whatever I ate there didn't have quite the consistency. It's isn't the ultra-smooth consistency of jello, but it has that rubbery-ness (at least at first bite).
The recipe says you can layer different types of fruits in the haupia (like peaches or pineapple). I've never done that. I prefer it in it's pure form. Though in the interest of "trying new things", I should probably make a batch someday with fruit in it.
When I first made this for my kids, they hated it. Now they like it but aren't extreme fanatics. I, on the other hand, can eat a whole batch by myself. So I can't make it that often.
And so, I share with you, my friend's recipe for Hawaiian Haupia.
Hawaiian Haupia Treat
1 can of coconut milk
1 can of water (once you pour out the coconut milk, fill up the can to the brim)
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c + 2 Tablespoons corn starch
Pour all the ingredients into a pot and whisk to incorporate the cornstarch fully. Turn on the heat to medium high and stir until the liquid turns thick. Turn down the heat to medium-low and stir almost constantly for 10 minutes. Pour the haupia into an 8x8 pan (or equivalent) and set on counter to cool before transferring to refrigerator to fully set. If you want fruit in your haupia, you would pour half the contents into the pan, place a layer of fruit on top, then pour the rest.
... and here is the pictoral recipe (follow along and you will see what the haupia looks like when it turns thick)...
A simple list of ingredients
First the water and coconut milk go in. Then the sugar. The order really doesn't matter.
Then add the cornstarch and whisk it all together.
Start stirring over medium-high heat with a spoon. In the first picture, you can see it start to solidify. In the second picture, it has gotten thick. You now turn down the heat and stir for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, pour it out into a pan and let it sit to cool down a bit.
Put in the refrigerator to fully set. You can get by with a couple of hours, but I like to let it set overnight if I can. You can choose to cover it or not, but if it is still warm, it will sweat.
Things to Note
- I think this is one of those foods that you either love it or hate it. Just to give that disclaimer before you try making it.
- I decided one time to try arrowroot with the recipe (I had sniffed around the internet and found a few haupia recipes that called for that). I wanted to get away from cornstarch since I can't always easily find non-GMO cornstarch at my grocery store. However, I was unable to get the haupia to set the way it should and it didn't have the consistency that I like and get with cornstarch. If you find out a trick to get arrowroot to work the same as cornstarch, please come back and let me know!
- The original recipe called for 1/2 c + 2T sugar, and I decreased it a bit and haven't noticed a flavor difference. It is possible that you can remove even more sugar and get it to work, but I haven't tried.
