Description
Che Khoai Mon is a traditional Vietnamese taro rice pudding infused with fragrant pandan leaves, creamy coconut sauce, and subtly sweetened for a comforting dessert. This recipe features steamed taro cubes mixed with glutinous rice cooked in pandan water, served with a rich coconut sauce and garnished with grated coconut and palm sugar.
Ingredients
For the Taro Rice Pudding
- 4 Pandan leaves (roughly chopped)
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 1 lb peeled taro root (cut into 1 cm pieces)
- ⅔ cup glutinous rice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons tapioca starch
For the Coconut Sauce
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ⅔ cup water
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For Garnish
- Grated coconut
- Palm sugar (or coconut sugar)
Instructions
- Prepare Pandan Water: Place the chopped pandan leaves and 4 ¼ cups of water into a blender. Blend for 60-90 seconds until fully pureed, working in batches if necessary.
- Strain Pandan Liquid: Pour the blended pandan mixture through a wire mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding the pulp. Press the pulp gently in the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible without allowing pulp through.
- Steam Taro: Steam the peeled and cut taro cubes for 10-12 minutes or until they become fork-tender.
- Cook Rice Mixture: In a pot, combine the glutinous rice, pandan water, salt, sugar, vanilla extract, and tapioca starch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Combine Taro and Rice: Gently fold the steamed taro pieces into the cooked rice mixture, taking care not to mash the taro cubes to maintain their shape.
- Make Coconut Sauce: In a saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, water, sugar, tapioca starch, and salt. Heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the sauce boils and thickens, about 4-5 minutes.
- Serve: Spoon the taro rice pudding into serving bowls. Top each portion with a generous amount of the coconut sauce.
- Garnish: Optionally, sprinkle freshly grated coconut and palm sugar or coconut sugar over each serving for extra texture and sweetness.
Notes
- Using pandan leaves imparts a unique floral aroma essential to authentic flavor.
- Ensure taro is steamed until soft but not mushy to maintain texture in the pudding.
- Gently mixing taro with rice prevents the taro from breaking and keeps the pudding visually appealing.
- The tapioca starch in both pudding and sauce acts as a thickener to give a creamy consistency.
- Use palm sugar or coconut sugar for a richer, more traditional sweetness.
- This dessert is best served warm or at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
