Che Dau Den (Vietnamese Black Bean Dessert)

October 29, 2021
Posted in: Recipes

In Vietnamese, “Chè” refers to soupy, pudding-like desserts. This Chè Đậu Đen recipe is made with “Đậu Đen” or black bean. It is typically served over crushed ice during summer, but can also be served hot during the winter season.

Recipe courtesy of Trang Doan, blogger at Wild Wild Whisk, and eeatusabeans.com 

Chè Đậu Đen recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry black beans (200 g)
  • 6 – 11 cup water (for soaking and cooking)
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar (132 g)
  • 1/8 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup canned coconut milk

For hot bean soup:

  • 1 tablespoon tapioca flour

Directions

  1. Wash the dry beans and soak them overnight in 2 – 3 cups of water.
  2. Drain the beans and discard the liquid, they should have doubled in size. Add beans to a pressure cooker along with 3 cups of clean water and cook at pressure for 45 mins.
  3. Once the beans are cooked and the pressure is released, drain the bean again, but this time, save the bean juice.
  4. Add the beans back to the pressure cooker and use the “Sauté” mode for this step, or use another pot on the stove top. Add sugar and salt to the beans and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and close the lid, allow the beans to soak in the sugar syrup for 1 – 2 hours.
  5. Add about 2 – 2.5 cup of the saved bean juice back into the pot, and bring to a boil.
  6. If you want to serve right away as a hot dessert, dissolve the tapioca flour in a tablespoon of additional bean juice (or water) and pour it in the pot. Continue stirring until the soup thickens. Spoon about ½ cup of beans into a small bowl and drizzle 1 tablespoon of canned coconut milk on top. Mix and enjoy.
  7. To serve the bean as a cold dessert, you don’t need to add the tapioca flour. Allow the bean to cool completely. Add crushed ice to a serving glass, spoon ½ cup of beans over the ice, add 1 tablespoon of canned coconut milk, and other toppings like grass jelly, almond jelly, or tapioca balls (boba). Mix and enjoy.

Notes:

  • If not using a pressure cooker, simmer the beans in a tall pot with the lid cracked open, on the stove top over low heat until tender, about 3 hours. You will need to add about 8+ cups of water during the cooking process since the water will continue to evaporate.
  • If you don’t have enough bean juice after cooking (roughly 2 – 2.5 cup) you can supplement with water.

 

We hope you enjoy this traditional Chè Đậu Đen recipe!

Check out more recipes:

View all recipes from USDBC

View recipes from eatusabeans.com