Vietnamese
Vegan
Gluten freeChè khoai môn (taro and sticky rice in coconut milk)
Taro coconut dessert
Chè khoai môn: purple-flecked taro and glutinous rice cooked creamy in coconut milk
Southern Vietnamese cooks make chè khoai môn for ancestor offerings and for chilly monsoon evenings, when a warm, creamy bowl is welcome; Saigon stalls sell it hot from big pots. Chunks of taro, some left whole and some crushed into the pot, cook with glutinous rice until the whole thing turns thick and faintly lilac, then coconut milk is poured over. Chef's tip: wear gloves or oil your hands when peeling raw taro; the sap can make skin itch badly.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 390 kcal
Ingredients
- 14 oz taropeeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 2 ⅞ oz glutinous (sticky) ricesoaked 1 hour
- 3 ⅛ oz sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 pandan leavesknotted
- 1 ¼ cups coconut milk
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Tick what you have; the rest goes in the basket.
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Simmer drained 2 ⅞ oz glutinous (sticky) rice with 2 pandan leaves in 1 litre of water over a medium heat, stirring now and then, for 10 minutes until the grains begin to swell.
10 minStep 2: Add 14 oz taro and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are soft enough to crush against the side of the pot. Crush about a quarter of them to thicken the chè.
15 minStep 3: Stir in 3 ⅛ oz sugar, 1 pinch salt and two-thirds of ¾ cup coconut milk and simmer 3 minutes, until thick, creamy and pale purple.
3 minStep 4: Remove the pandan, ladle into bowls, swirl over the rest of ½ cup coconut milk and sprinkle with 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds. Serve warm.
KrazyBadal
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