Shalvi Mohindra
Pastry Chef and Chocolatier
Ingredients
- 135g castor sugar
- 60ml coconut milk, full fat
- 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
1. Melt the sugar
On the gas stove, heat a pan on medium to high heat and sprinkle castor sugar (2 Tbsp) at a time. Once the sugar starts to break down, it will melt and change to amber color.
2. Continue adding sugar
Keep adding sugar. You can use a wooden spoon to mix in the sugar, and have an even melting and color. The color of the caramel will depend upon how long you cook the sugar. If you want the sugar to have a lighter caramel color, do not overheat your pan.
3. Prepare the milk
Meanwhile, heat up the coconut milk close to the boiling temperature.
4. Mix melted sugar and milk
Once all the sugar has melted, remove it from the stove and add heated coconut milk, bit by bit and mix immediately. The mixture will bubble a lot at first so make sure you stay away from the stove and have a long wooden spoon to mix in the sugar and coconut milk.
5. Mix in nutmeg
After all the coconut milk has been added, mix in nutmeg and transfer to a small heat proof container.
6. Enjoy!
Use it on fruits or pancakes. It can be stored in the fridge for 3 weeks.
Pro Tips
- Making caramel might be a tad tricky. This method is called making “dry caramel” where we are not using any water, so the sugar is heated in the pan on high flame.
- Make sure you are using a heat proof wooden spatula to mix.
- If by mistake you burn the caramel, don’t worry, just fill the pan with water and let the sugar melt. Also, the pan will be easier to clean.
- Make sure the milk is hot. If it’s not hot, it will make the sugar harden, and you will need to start the process again.
- Do not use caramel straight from the stove as it will be very hot and can burn you.
Shalvi has studied Diplome de Patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu, New Zealand and now specialises as a chocolatier. She had previously worked as a Chef de Partie for airline catering, creating desserts for first class and business class passengers, and is now working as a Head chocolatier at Cocoa Wilds, where all the products are freshly made using no preservatives or artificial flavours…
If you would like to learn more about Shalvi, see Expert: Shalvi Mohindra.
