Vietnamese Che (Sweet Iced Dessert Soup)
A refreshing Vietnamese dessert soup made with mung beans, coconut milk, and jaggery. Served ice-cold with crushed ice, it's the perfect ending to any meal.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 185
- Protein
- 6g
Ingredients
- ¾ cup split mung beans, dried
- 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk, full-fat
- 4 cups water
- ⅓ cup jaggery or brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pandan extract (optional)
- 2 cups ice, crushed
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the mung beans under cold running water in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear, about 30 seconds, so that dirt and debris wash away.
- 2
Pour 4 cups of water into a medium pot and bring it to a full rolling boil over high heat, about 5 minutes.
- 3
Add the rinsed mung beans to the boiling water and stir for 10 seconds with a wooden spoon so they don't stick together.
- 4
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the beans, uncovered, for 15–18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are soft enough to break apart easily between your fingertips.
- 5
Add the jaggery or brown sugar and salt to the pot and stir constantly for 1 minute until completely dissolved, which helps sweeten and season the broth evenly.
- 6
Pour in the full can of coconut milk and stir with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds until the broth is creamy and uniform throughout.
- 7
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and pandan extract, if using, until the mixture smells fragrant.
- 8
Let the che cool to room temperature on the counter, about 20 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour until ice-cold.
- 9
Fill four bowls halfway with the chilled che broth and mung beans, dividing evenly.
- 10
Top each bowl with 0.5 cup of crushed ice so the dessert stays cold and refreshing as you eat it.
Tools you’ll need
- fine-mesh strainer
- medium pot (3-quart)
- wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- four serving bowls
- ice crusher or blender (for crushing ice)
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