Che Dau Den (Vietnamese Black Bean Dessert)

1. Wash the dry beans and soak them overnight in approx. 500 ml of water.

2. Drain the beans and discard the liquid, they should have doubled in size. Add beans to a pressure cooker along with 700 ml 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 500 ml 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 80 g 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 80 g 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

1. 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 1,8 l of water during the cooking process since the water will continue to evaporate.

2. If you don’t have enough bean juice after cooking (roughly 500 ml) you can supplement with water.

3. Serve either hot or cold to your liking.