Che Ba Mau (3 Bean Dessert)

I manage to order a glass of Che Ba Mau only recently, after almost 4 weeks in Vietnam. I don't know why, but the mushy/spongy looking drink didn't appeal to me at all. I knew it was a traditional Vietnamese 3-bean dessert drink, yet I refused to try it. The kind they serve at Quan An Ngon really made me crave one and I was not sorry at all.

Che Ba Mau (or the Rainbow Drink) is typically made of three types of beans - mung, azuki, and tapioca, coconut milk, jelly, and sugar. It is served with crushed ice and costs around 22,000 VND at any restaurant or 5,000 VND at the market. It is a fabulous drink, but probably not all the vendors have the right recipe. It happened to me to buy some tasteless che from the market - I really suspect it was made with soy instead of coconut milk.

Che Ba Mau Recipe (from www.asiarecipe.com)

3/4 cup skinless split mung beans, soaked for 3 hours and drained, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup red azuki beans, soaked for 4 hours and drained, 1-1/2 cups coconut milk, 1/4 cup tapioca pearls, 1 can longan, drained.

Directions:

1. Bring 2 cups water to a simmer in a pot over medium heat. Add the mung beans and 1/4 cup sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the water is completely absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Bring 2 cups of water just to a boil in a pot over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the azuki beans and 1/4 cup sugar. Cover and simmer until the beans are cooked through, about 3 hours. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Meanwhile, bring the coconut milk and 1-1/2 cups water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining sugar and tapioca pearls, and simmer until the tapioca pearls have become completely transparent. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

4. In an ice cream soda glass, working in layers, place 2 tablespoons shaved ice in between 3 tablespoons each of everything else starting with shaved ice, coconut tapioca, shaved ice (again), azuki beans, shaved ice (again), coconut tapioca (again), and a few longans and jelly bites on top. Use ice cream spoons to eat and a straw to sip.