Medjool dates with sticky rice
Typically a meal ends with fresh fruit, but stuffed dates were a feature of many Shanghainese menus, filled simply with sweetened rice. I like to add coconut for more flavour. Serve them with a selection of fresh seasonal fruit. Tropical fruits such as lychees, mangosteens and longans are perfect, if you can find them. Watermelon when in season is always popular, but Chinese or nashi pears, apples and oranges go down well too.
Ingredients
1/2 cup glutinous rice
3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut cream
2 tablespoons palm sugar
16 medjool dates
1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
fresh seasonal fruit to serve
Method
Place the rice in a sieve and rinse well under cold water then place in a saucepan with the boiling water and salt and bring to the boil. Stir, cover and reduce to a very low simmer. Cook undisturbed for 12 minutes.
Combine the coconut cream and palm sugar in a saucepan and heat to dissolve the sugar. Stir into the cooked rice, cover and leave to cool. Slice each date open lengthwise and remove the stone. Fill the cavity with coconut rice and sprinkle with a few sesame seeds.
Chill until needed. Serve with fresh fruit.
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