Fruit and (Coconut) Cream Sando
Good sandwiches are underrated. Yes, they’re convenient but when the options for fillings are endless, you’re only limited by your own imagination and a boring sandwich for lunch becomes that much more exciting.
Anyway, let’s take a closer look at the “Sando” category today.
A “Sando” is a Japanese take on your classic sandwich, usually made with fluffy, pillowy shokupan (aka, White Milk Bread) with both the options of savoury or sweet. Pork Katsu Sando or Tamago (Egg) Sando usually comes to mind when thinking of “savoury sandos” and then for sweet, it’s often the beloved fruit sandwiches.
Wander through any basement food hall of a Japanese department store and you’re bound to come across stalls selling just that - fruit sandwiches or more commonly known as, fruit sandos. Freshly cut fruit is set in thick layers of whipped cream and sandwiched between slices of soft milk bread. However, it’s almost not a sandwich at all and could be likened to more of a fruit shortcake, especially with the amount of cream that’s slathered on!
You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to the fruit options. You can quite literally find every fruit under the sun, from the more rudimentary strawberry, right through to grape, fig or even mandarin.
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Taking inspiration from the basement food stalls, I decided to recreate a non-dairy version, using canned coconut cream instead of thickened whipped cream.
And I made this sandwich back in summer when stone fruits were in abundance and I was right into the white peaches. But as mentioned above, literally any fruit works, depending on preference and what’s in season! Mandarins are bursting with flavour at the moment so that would be my pick right now.
Again, the recipe below is for a vegan version of the traditional kind, but feel free to revert to the original and use full-fat thickened cream instead x
Recipe:
1x can full fat coconut cream (I use Ayam)
2 tbsp powdered sugar
Slices of Shokupan
Sliced fruit of choice
Method:
Refrigerate a can of coconut cream overnight (for best results and good whipping consistency).
Empty contents of the can into a large bowl and combine with the powdered sugar. Whip with an electric mixer or KitchenAid until soft peaks form.
Spread the whipped coconut cream generously onto a slice of shokupan and layer with sliced fruit. Top with another slice of bread and slice to serve, with or without crusts. x
*If Shokupan is unavailable, fresh white bread also works perfectly.
