Made with water chestnuts and tapioca starch, these Red Rubies are chewy on the outside with crunchy centers. Served with sweet, cold coconut milk, this is one refreshing dessert you can't get enough of!
If you are using fresh water chestnuts, cut the tops and bottoms off and peel them with a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. If you are using canned water chestnuts, simply rinse them. Then cut each water chestnut into very small bite-sized pieces (~¼" cubes).
Mix 20 drops red food coloring with 2 tablespoons water. Coat the water chestnut cubes in the food coloring mixture and let sit for approximately 10 minutes until they are all evenly red.
Add the water chestnuts to the tapioca flour and mix until they are coated well. Take them out of the flour and then, using a spray bottle, mist them with water and coat them with flour again. Strain them with a mesh sieve or colander to get rid of the excess flour.
Place the coated water chestnuts in a pot of boiling water and cook for approximately one minute. Once they float to the surface, they are done. Remove and plunge into a pot of ice cold water. If they still have small spots of white, this indicates uncooked tapioca starch, so they should be boiled for another minute.
Make a simple syrup by heating ½ cup water with ½ cup sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then add 1 cup coconut milk and stir until mixed. Add the red rubies and crushed ice and enjoy!