“Unusually for an Asian nation, the Vietnamese have a fondness for coffee – a taste they acquired from their French colonisers. (Interestingly, Vietnam supplies the world coffee trade with much of its robusta beans, most of which end up as instant coffee.) The left-over syrup keeps well and tastes delicious spooned over ice-cream.”

SERVES 6

2½ tsp powdered gelatine

160ml sweetened condensed milk

330ml soy milk

270g chopped palm sugar (jaggery)

25g coarsely ground coffee beans

Sprinkle the gelatine over 2 tablespoons cold water in a cup or small bowl and stand for 5 minutes or until softened.

Meanwhile, combine the condensed and soy milks in a small saucepan and gently heat over medium–low heat – do not simmer. Stir in the gelatine mixture and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the gelatine has dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Divide among six 175ml glasses or serving bowls and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight – the jellies will just be lightly set.

Combine the palm sugar and 400ml water in a small saucepan and slowly bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the coffee and cook for another 2 minutes for the flavours to infuse. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, then refrigerate until cold.

Pour some of the syrup over the jellies and serve with the remaining syrup on the side.

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