So this is the recipe I actually made on Instagram Live with Shari from my season on Masterchef. We were doing soufflé demo’s, and we each did a different flavor, hers being chocolate, while mine being this one. I didn’t want to go traditional to begin with, since I wanted to conserve eggs, and because I also wanted to do something vegan/gluten-free anyways. So I went with a coconut-sticky rice soufflé, inspired by the coconut sticky rice you’d get for dessert at a lot of Asian takeout restaurants. By using mochiko(glutinous rice flour), I knew I could emulate both the flavor and the texture of sticky rice in the soufflé itself. I leavened it using whipped aquafaba(chickpea water), and surprisingly, the soufflé baked up properly, rising and everything! Now sticky rice is typically served with two things, the first being a salted coconut milk and the second being mango. The salted flavor in the soufflé will either come from the chickpea brine or actual salt going into it. That’s where my sauce came in. I almost always serve my soufflés with a sauce or ice cream, because while they are good on their own, something with it only can make it better. So my sauce, I went with a mango-creamsicle sauce, made with mango puree, orange juice, orange zest, and coconut. I wanted the sauce to be almost like a creme anglaise, but vegan and gluten-free as well, using cornstarch to thicken it, and coconut oil to give it a glossy, richer finish.

Overall, this recipe was fun to make and tinker around with. My first time making it, I made the mistake of filling the ramekins too high, resulting in the soufflés overflowing, collapsing while in the oven, and being raw in the middle – not ideal at all when making a soufflé. To avoid that happening whatsoever, I recommend filling the baking vessels about 80% full, just because the batter will rise dramatically, and so you won’t have to fill your ramekins up to the brim to get them to puff up – this technique does work for some soufflés, but just not a béchamel based one, which mine is based off of. I also baked them at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, but I felt like the browning wasn’t quite there, so I upped it to 400 degrees F for this recipe, so that you’ll have a more golden-brown experience compared to mine. Although if you’re into the snow-white aesthetic, bake at 375 degrees F to achieve that. Either way, the soufflé was cooked through, it’s just a matter of if you like a browned top or not.

Makes 2-3 servings:
For the soufflé:
1/4 cup mochiko
2 tablespoons coconut oil + more for buttering
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar + more for lining
1/2 cup aquafaba (omit salt if using the canned chickpeas with brine)
1/4 teaspoon salt(omit if the chickpeas were packed with brine)
a pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip aquafaba with 1/4 cup of the sugar to stiff peaks. Whisk together the mochiko, coconut oil, and coconut milk until the coconut milk is dissolved and the mixture has thickened. Fold in the aquafaba with the mixture. Pour into lined ramekins and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

For the sauce:
1/4 cup mango puree
juice and zest from 1 orange
2 tablespoons coconut milk
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
a pinch of salt

Whisk together ingredients on medium-high heat until the liquid begins to bubble. Whisk for 2-3 minutes then pass through a strainer.