Anyone who has been to Vietnam should once try this traditional dish. Not so hard to make yet really tasty. Traditionally green mung bean dessert as the name suggests is only made from mung bean. However, this modified version adds more diversity to the taste, making it a perfect solution to your thirst due to the hot weather in the summer of Vietnam.
I happened to find this sweet soup at a small dessert shop near my house in the middle of Hanoi. The owner has several other desserts as well, however this one is my favorite. Now let’s follow me to my virtual kitchen to learn how we can make this delicious dessert.
Ingredients:
1. 200g green mung bean
2. Black jelly
3. Big tapioca pearls
4. Shredded coconut
5. 80g palm sugar
Step 1: Soak the beans in a basin of water, take out the afloat ones (these are considered stale or bad ones). After two hours when the beans become a bit soft, we can easily remove the peels through many times of rinsing.
Step 2: Now that the beans are ready to be cooked. Put them in a pot then pour water a few cm above the beans then cook them, wait 20 minutes.
Step 3: Meanwhile we put the tapioca pearls into another pot with a lot of water, then boil them. When the pearls turn all the way to a completely transparent color, that means they are cooked. Then turn off the fire, immediately soak the pearls into cold water so that they are solidly formed and not broken. Remember if you don’t soak the cooked tapioca pearls into cold water, they will be so soft to break, thus cannot be formed solidly.
Step 4: After 20 minutes, the beans become tenderer. Put them into a blender then ground them. Then put the grounded bean into the same pot then add sugar. Cook the mixture until the sugar is all blended and dissolved in the bean.
Step 5: Now we have all the elements necessary to make the dessert soup. In order to have a nice look like in the picture, put grounded ice into a bowl first, then put the sweet bean soup, on top of it we will put black jelly, tapioca pearls, and finally the shredded coconut. Mix them all together when serving.
Green mung bean can treat many diseases for both children and adults, including bringing the rosy color to your complexion, refreshing your body, reducing acnes due to inadequate water. During summery starching days in Vietnam, a fresh and cool bowl of green mung bean will ease your throat and distinguish your burning thirst. It is also a wonderful solution for rehabilitating your health and nurturing your body after a tiring day of work.
/// Written by Linh Pham, Vietnam
