Coconut Ice Pops are one of the traditional cold desserts in the Philippines. They are sold by street vendors who roam around the neighborhood during summer. Popsicles of different flavors are stored in styrofoam boxes atop a layer of ice. And you'll know they're coming once you hear the ringing of the bell.
It has two variations wherein you can either use coconut juice from young a coconut or coconut milk extracted from a mature one. Also, there's a range of things you can add to enhance and flavor it. One can use chunks of fruits, shredded coconut meat, puréed fruits/root crops, and cooked beans.
Today, I made the version with coconut milk and sweetened red mung beans. Here are the ingredients:
Sweetened Red Mung Beans
100 grams red mung beans
300 grams water (3 times as much beans)
75 grams sugar
A pinch of salt
The beans were soaked overnight in a deep bowl of water and drained the next day. They absorbed the water, doubling its original size. In a saucepan, put water, salt and mung beans. Let boil, lower the heat, and cover for 45 minutes to an hour until some of the liquid is reduced and beans soft (add water if necessary). Once the beans have softened, add the sugar and continue to simmer until the syrupy mixture had reduced.
Coconut Ice Pop Mixture
Sweetened red mung beans
1 cup coconut milk
7 ounces condensed milk
1 cup water
Put the desired amount of cooked red mung beans in each popsicle mold (for even distribution). Combine all the other ingredients and fill the molds. Put the lids on, if using separate popsicle sticks, let the popsicles moderately set, then insert the sticks. Freeze until fully set.
