Tab tim grop (sometimes spelled tub tim grob, among other variations), often referred to as Thai red ruby dessert in English, is an iced sweet soup made with water chestnuts, coconut, and sugar syrup.
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Some of my fondest memories of Bangkok involve late night street dining, sweating in oppressive heat alongside a chef and his fiery wok. It feels unnatural at first, eating hot food in a hot climate, but it's part of the charm of the package, and it is a welcome treat after the sun has set and the air has dipped a few degrees in temperature. When I consider my dream meal, it always involves snacking from a selection of BKK street carts, followed by a big bowl of iced dessert soup like tab tim grop to cool me down.
If you can't be bothered to wait overnight for the jasmine water, you can use jasmine essence. Control the sweetness of the Thai red ruby dessert by how much syrup you add (feel free to mess with the coconut milk to sugar ratios to suit your own tastes), and there's always space for chunks of fruit and/or other common Thai dessert ingredients (corn, beans, palm fruit...)
📖 Recipe
Red ruby Thai dessert (Tub tim grop / tab tim grob ทับทิมกรอบ)
Ingredients
- 120 millilitres jasmine water ½ cup
- 100 grams sugar ½ cup
- 10-12 water chestnuts from a can, cut into approximate ¼ inch chunks
- ½ teaspoon pink or red food colouring
- 40 grams tapioca starch ½ cup
- 60-80 millilitres thick coconut milk or coconut cream ¼ to ⅓ cup
- Crushed ice
Instructions
- To make the jasmine water, place 12-15 dried jasmine flowers in 1 litre of just boiled water. Cover and leave overnight. Strain flowers out.
- As an alternative to soaking jasmie flowers, you can just add a couple drops of jasmine essence to the water.
- Combine the sugar and jasmine water in a saucepan and simmer over medium-high for about five minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is syrupy. Allow to cool to at least room temperature (or refrigerate).
- Mix the diced water chestnut with the food colouring, stirring until the pieces are uniformly dyed. Add the tapioca starch and continue to mix until the water chestnuts are completely coated. Sift away and excess flour, and boil the pieces until they float. Drain and submerge in cold water.
- Add a handful of crushed ice to a bowl, plus 3-4 tablespoons of the sugar syrup. Top with half of the chestnut rubies and drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of coconut milk/cream on top. Add corn, jackfruit, lychee, or other tropical fruits if desired.