Chè Khúc Bach

1. Stir together 51/2 cups cold water and agar-agar in a saucepan. Let stand 20 minutes to bloom and soften. Meanwhile, whisk together 1 tablespoon hot water and butterfly pea flower powder in a small bowl until dissolved; set aside.

2. Cook agar-agar mixture over medium, stirring constantly, until agar-agar dissolves and mixture comes to a low boil, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in sugar and extracts; cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk; cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and well incorporated, about 1 minute.

3. Working quickly, divide the agar-agar mixture evenly among 3 medium bowls (about 2 1/3 cups each). Carefully pour butterfly pea flower powder mixture into 1 bowl of agar-agar mixture, discarding any bits of undissolved powder. Add instant coffee to second bowl of agar-agar mixture; add beet juice to remaining bowl of agar-agar mixture. Stir well until each color is uniform. Pour each color into a separate 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan; use a spoon to skim off any bubbles from surface. Let stand, uncovered and undisturbed, until cooled to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cover and chill until firm, 5 to 12 hours.

4. Run a knife along edges of 1 panna cotta in loaf pan. Flip pan over, and gently tap bottom to release. If desired, trim edges of panna cotta using a wavy blade knife. Cut into 1-inch cubes for a total of 32 cubes. Repeat with remaining panna cotta. Set aside.

5. Stir together coconut cream, condensed coconut milk, and salt in a small saucepan; bring to a low boil over medium, stirring often to prevent bottom from burning. Remove from heat; let cool completely.

6. Stir together 3/4 cup warm water and basil seeds in a small bowl. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until seeds have absorbed water, at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.

7. To assemble, fill each of 8 serving bowls with 3/4 cup shaved ice, 2 to 3 longans, and 3 to 4 lychees. Spoon 3 tablespoons combined syrups from canned fruits over each bowl. Top each bowl with about 1 1/2 tablespoons basil seeds, 3 or 4 cubes of each panna cotta color, and 1 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds. Drizzle each bowl with 1 tablespoon coconut cream topping. Add additional canned fruit syrup and coconut cream topping to taste. Serve immediately.

Find butterfly pea powder, agar-agar, basil seeds, and canned lychees and longans at Asian grocery stores or online at foodsofnations.com. See p. 12 for our favorite shaved-ice machine.

Make Ahead

Panna cottas can be made up to 1 week in advance. Coconut cream topping can be made up to 4 days in advance; let come to room temperature and whisk until smooth before using.