Che

Ingredients

Beans

• 200 gmung beans, split and hulled, soaked
• or 200 g black-eyed beans, soaked overnight

Jellies

• 80 gtapioca pearls
• or agar jelly, cut into cubes
• or pandan jelly worms

Coconut

• 600 mlcoconut milk
• 100 mlwater
• 2pandan leaves, knotted
• a good pinch of salt
• 1 tbspcornflour, optional

Sweetening

• 150 gsugar, or palm sugar
• or 150 g rock sugar

To serve

• crushed ice
• roasted peanuts, crushed
• toasted sesame seeds
• cubed jelly

Directions

1. Soak the beans for at least four hours, or overnight for whole beans. Drain the soaked beans and rinse them. Simmer them in plain water until soft, which takes twenty minutes for split mung beans and an hour for whole beans.
2. Cook the beans in water rather than in sweetened coconut milk, which is the key technical point. Sugar and fat both slow beans softening considerably, and a bean added to sweetened liquid before it is soft will stay hard.
3. Boil them in plenty of water, stirring at first so they do not stick to the base. They are ready when almost translucent with only a small white dot in the centre.
4. Take them off the heat, cover, and let them stand for ten minutes. Drain and rinse them under cold water to wash off the surface starch. Keep them in cold water until needed.
5. Warm the coconut milk with the pandan leaves and a good pinch of salt. Never let coconut milk boil hard, since it splits into oil and curds and cannot be brought back.
6. Keep it at a bare simmer, stirring gently. The salt in the coconut milk is what stops the dish tasting flat and cloying. Knot the leaves before adding them so they are easy to fish out. The layers are the point of the presentation in a glass, so keep them distinct.
7. Add it at the last moment, since it melts and dilutes the drink quickly. Add them at the very last moment so they stay crisp. It keeps two days refrigerated, though the jellies and the ice must be fresh.

Technique

• Chè is a whole family of sweet soups and puddings, not one dish.
• Cook the beans in plain water first, since sugar stops them softening.
• The salt in the coconut milk is what stops it tasting cloying.

Substitutions

• Any beans or pulses, cooked the same way.
• Tinned coconut milk, which is what most people use.

Variations

• Chè ba màu, the three colour version.
• Chè trôi nước, hot rice balls in ginger syrup.
• Chè chuối, made with banana and tapioca.

History

Family of sweet soups and puddings with beans, jellies, fruit and coconut milk, sold in dozens of named varieties by street vendors.

Frequently asked questions

What is Che?

Che is a dessert from Vietnam: sweet layered puddings of beans, jellies and coconut milk. Family of sweet soups and puddings with beans, jellies, fruit and coconut milk, sold in dozens of named varieties by street vendors.

How long does Che take to make?

Che takes 30 min plus soaking of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Che?

Yes, within limits. Any beans or pulses, cooked the same way. Tinned coconut milk, which is what most people use.

What is the most important thing to get right in Che?

Cook the beans in water rather than in sweetened coconut milk, which is the key technical point. Sugar and fat both slow beans softening considerably, and a bean added to sweetened liquid before it is soft will stay hard.