Chè Chuối, a Vietnamese Banana and Tapioca Sweet Snack
Chè is a sweet made coconut milk and beans, fruits, tubers, jelly, cereals or a mixture of two or more of them. There are so many varieties of chè including those with savory ingredients like sausages, roast pork or eggs.This is chè chuối, a version of chè with banana and tapioca balls. Remember that you don't have to reserve this dish for the end of your meal. Enjoy it any time of the day.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons small tapioca balls, uncooked
- ⅔ cup coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 generous pinch salt
- 4 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Measure three and a half cups of water into a sauce pan. Add the tapioca balls. Bring to the boil. Cook the tapioca balls, stirring occasionally, until swollen but the centers still opaque.
- Stir in the sugar, salt and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the cubed bananas and vanilla extract, if using.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pan and allow the tapioca balls to cook fully in the residual heat (see notes after the recipe).
- Serve the chè chuối warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Tapioca balls are opaque when uncooked. They double in size and turn translucent after cooking.
The technique in this recipe is to partially cook the tapioca balls in boiling water then let them continue cooking in the hot liquid after all the ingredients have been added. This is to allow some of the starch in the tapioca balls to get mixed in the liquid to thicken it.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a day or two. Chè chuối can be served cold straight out of the fridge.
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