[6th contest] Spring Luk Chub

Luk Chub is a popular dessert in Thailand among children and adults of all ages. We use Mung beans to create a delicious and sweet play-doh like paste that we then form into different shapes, such as fruits and vegetables. We then color and cover the Luk Chub in an agar-based coating which gives it a tasty and shiny exterior. It’s not easy for me to find Agar powder in the US, so when I saw this competition, I knew I had to share this recipe from my home country with a Spring-inspired twist! I made Spring Luk Chub strawberries with real strawberries inside of them. I also made some Luk Chub easter eggs, baby chick, a little bunny, and baby carrots. ★Funfact!

Mung beans are actually full of healthy antioxidants, and the recipe works with monk fruit sweetener just as well as it works with sugar, so this can be a pretty healthy dessert option. Also, because you can form the Luk Chub into any shape, it can be a really fun time to sit down with your kids or young ones to get creative with.

★ DETAILS

Prep Time: 1 night Cooking Time: 2 hours Cooling Time: 1 hour Total Time (prep + cooking + cooling): 9 hours

Serves for 4 people

★SUITABLE DIET

It’s vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, and Low calories

★ INGREDIENTS

7.5 tsp of agar agar powder,

5 cup of water

400 grams Mungbean

300 grams of Monkfruit sweetener (Sugar if preferable)

2 cups of coconut milk

pinch of salt

Food colors

Items

Wooden skewers

Something to hold the skewers up (e.g. Styrofoam)

★ INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash mung bean until the water is clear and leave it in the water overnight (or 4-6 hours)

2. Steam mung bean for 30 mins

3. Puree cooked mung bean with coconut milk and monkfruit sweetener (or sugar) until it’s

smooth (make it into two batches so it blends easier and smoother)

4. Place all pureed mung bean in the pan and keep stirring it until it turns to a paste. It usually took 1 hour to get a perfect paste(Keep stirring and make sure to not burn the

bottom of the pan)

5. Cool it down and place it in plastic bag and kneed it again

6. Once it’s cool, mold into shapes of fruits or anything you like. (Don’t let the Luk Chub dry out, you can keep a damp cloth over it while shaping it).

7. Place the bottom of the shape on a wooden skewer.

8. Paint or dip it in colors you like (it can be an activity for your child to enjoy for this Easter or

Spring)

9. While the shapes are drying, mix agar powder with room temperature water for 1 hour and heat it up until medium hot

10. Quickly & carefully dip the luk chub shapes into the Agar (After it cools down to the consistency of a syrup)

11. let the Agar set.

12. Repeat the agar-coating process 3 to 4 times to better maintain the shape of the Luk Chub, and create a nicer coat.

13. Enjoy!

※ Items you need ! Wooden skewers Styrofoam Note Monkfruit sweetener (Sugar if preferrable) Wash your hand if the mung bean paste starts to stick to your hand Dip mung bean in Agar after the colors are fully dry Agar should be cooled down and syrupy

★ ABOUT CHEF

Muthita Markland