← Nouns Cooking · Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 100 g Split, skinned mung beans
• 400 ml Water
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• 400 g cooked adzuki or red kidney beans (1 tin, drained)
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 4 tbsp Water
• 2 tsp Agar agar powder
• 500 ml Water
• 4 tbsp Sugar
• ½ tsp Pandan extract
• 200 ml Coconut milk
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp tapioca starch, mixed with 1 tbsp water
• 400 g crushed ice

Method

1. For the jelly, whisk the agar into the cold water with the sugar, then bring to the boil, stirring, and boil for 2 min. Stir in the pandan extract, pour into a shallow dish and chill for 1 hour until firm. Cut into thin strips or small cubes.
2. Meanwhile, rinse the mung beans and simmer them in the water for 20–25 min, stirring often, until very soft and the water is absorbed. Mash with the sugar and salt into a smooth, thick paste and let it cool.
3. Simmer the red beans with the sugar and water for 5 min until glossy and syrupy, then cool.
4. For the coconut sauce, warm the coconut milk with the sugar and salt over low heat, stir in the tapioca mix and simmer for 1 minute until slightly thickened. Cool.
5. Build tall glasses: red beans first, then mung bean paste, then pandan jelly. Top with crushed ice and pour over the coconut sauce. Stir it all together with a long spoon before eating.

Tips

• Every part can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge, so assembling takes two minutes.
• Tinned sweetened red bean paste works too; skip the sugar in that layer.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hungry Huy Vicky Pham