Here’s the thing about Asian desserts: you either love them, or you hate them. What we think about when we think of dessert in the Western world — gooey chocolate, creamy frosting, layers upon layers of cake — just doesn’t exist in Asian dessert culture. Asian desserts are totally different, from sweet soups, rice puddings, shaved ice, to flaky pastries filled with mushy pastes made out of sweet red beans (azuki) paste or lotus paste.
When we first moved to Malaysia, the hubby confessed that while he’d embraced pretty much all of the Asian foods I’d introduced him to since meeting him, he hadn’t warmed to Asian desserts. “They’re just not what I think of when I’m craving something sweet,” he admitted. I nodded. We talked about how Asian desserts are so different from Western desserts that maybe they were an acquired taste. “It’s okay,” I said. “You like so many of the other crazy things I’ve shoved your way. It’s okay to just take a pass on desserts.”
