When I used to eat at a Chinese buffet, I loved it when they had coconut jelly on the dessert bar. It’s a bit like Jell-o, but made with coconut milk. I recently stumbled across this recipe in The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook by Nicola Graimes and wanted to give it a try.

My vesion didn’t gel up as expected, probably because my gelatin packet might have been a bit old. It didn’t dissolve properly, and as a result, I had a viscous coconut soup instead of the solid sheet that would have allowed me to slice it into pretty diamonds.

Even as a soup, it’s a delicious summer dessert. The coconut is paired with fruit in an anise syrup. The anise flavor is subtle, so mostly it’s fruit in syrup mixed with the jelly. I went with pineapple and lychee to keep the tropical vibe, and the fruits go very well with coconut. I might try this again and repost this recipe if I can get a more solid result with the jelly.

1 c. cold water
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. powdered gelatin
1 2/3 c. canned coconut milk

Anise Fruit Syrup:
1 c. water
3 star anise
1/4 c. sugar
1 starfruit, sliced
12 lychees, peeled and pitted
1 c. blackberries

Line an 8-inch square pan with plastic wrap. You may want to use 2 layers in 2 directions to maximize coverage on all sides. Set aside.

To make the jelly, heat the water and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Add the gelatin and stir occasionally until dissolved.

Stir in the coconut milk and remove from heat.

Pour the coconut milk mixture into the prepared pan and chill until set.

To make the syrup, combine the water, star anise, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir and lower the temperature to a simmer, simmering for 10-12 minutes until syrupy.

Place the fruit in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot syrup over it. Cool first, then chill.

To serve, cut the coconut jelly into diamonds and remove from the pan. Arrange on individual plates along with some of the fruit and syrup.

Or, if you have soup, just eat sweet cold soup and like it.