Nuts for Coconut: Two Trendy New Ways to Cool Down in Beijing
If you're a conscientious eater then you've surely noticed how trendy coconut has become as of late. We're already guzzling coconut water, coconut milk, coconut meat, coconut oil, coconut sugar, and even coconut flour, and it seems its 15 minutes of fame isn’t going to fade any time soon. As such, we're happy to announce that yet another buzz-worthy coconut item is on the menu: black ice cream with coconut ash.
First becoming a food craze in New York last year, this dessert is slowly catching on in Beijing as temperatures soar and locals scramble for some sweet, icy relief. Aside from the coconut ash, which renders the treat jet-black, it also has coconut flakes, coconut cream, and coconut milk that yields a rich (you guessed it) coconut flavor. Yes, it's messy, though Beijingers likely won't mind, what with the popularity of “dirty buns,” and “dirty milk tea,” or even “dirty coffee” filling up our social media feeds these days. So why not throw some “dirty ice cream” in the mix for good measure?
In fact, the "dirty" moniker seems particularly apt for this dessert. That's because in the US, the coconut ash used to make this ice cream black is made of charcoal from a burned coconut shell (because of the myriad of health benefits, of course). However, that part has yet to reach Beijing, where the 7-Eleven rendition we tried, dubbed coconut grey ice cream (RMB 9), instead uses food coloring, which is no doubt full of too many health benefits to list here. It did, however, come covered with a layer of chocolate (again, healthy), dusted with shredded coconut, and was black as promised.
While it lacks the authentic healthy ash of its American cousin, we still found this Chinese version oddly satisfying. Chalk that up to its strong coconut flavor, not to mention the large chunk of chocolate at the bottom tip of the cone (if you've ever eaten a Cornetto, you know what we mean). Be warned though: you'll need some post-consumption tissues and mouthwash unless you're into the cavity look.
Our coconut cravings didn't end there, so on subsequent muggy days we also went on the search for coconut jelly (椰子冻, yēzi dòng). Lin Convenience Store had plenty in stock, not surprising given the steep price tag of RMB 35. The result does feel luxurious though given that the dessert comes in a (fake) coconut shell inlaid with coconut jelly as well as sachets of dry shredded coconut and coconut milk to pour over the lot. The jelly's texture is akin to pudding, and we especially liked the sweet coconut crust. The only drawback: that fake coconut shell doesn't have nary a fleck of sweet white meat for you to scoop up. If it wasn’t so expensive (the same price as a pint of craft beer, we'll have you know!), we’d probably be gorging on these every day.
While these convenience store offerings did the trick, we're dutifully waiting for Beijing's plethora of chefs to have a stab at making higher-end versions more akin to what can be found State-side (hint-hint, no pressure).
Photos: Tracy Wang
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