Memories of My Mom: Che Chuoi

Che chuoi is bananas simmered in coconut milk and tapioca pearls. The end result has the consistency of tapioca pudding (with slices of banana). Though sweet, it is not really considered a dessert as Vietnamese people really don't eat desserts. If necessary, they will cap a meal with a dish of tropical fruit over ice. Ches are more commonly served as a sweet snack. Growing up, I was usually the only person in my family who really liked this dish...so when my mom made it, it was all for me!

In Viet Nam, there a quite a few different types of bananas. chuoi xiem (Lady's Fingers bananas or King Bananas) are 3-4 inches in length with a very thin peel. They are much more delicate than an American banana with a sweeter taste and honey-like aroma. These are my favorite bananas to use in this recipe.

3 c water
3 c coconut milk
3/4 c small tapioca pearls, soaked in warm water for about 15-20 minutes
3/4 - 1 c sugar (or more, depending on your preference for sweetness - I use vanilla sugar that I made with vanilla beans buried in a jar of baking sugar)
1/4 t salt
1 bunch of chuoi ngu, peeled and quatered (or 4 or so chiquitas, halved lenthwise then cut into 2 inch pieces)

- Heat the water in a sauce pan to boiling, turn the heat down to simmer and add the coconut milk. Drain the tapioca pearls and add them to the coconut, stirring frequently to keep them from clumping and burning.

- When the mixture has thickened slightly, add the sugar and stir.

- Once the pearls have taken on a clear look and a soft in texture, add the bananas. At this point, you'll want to be extra careful when stirring to keep the bananas from breaking up or mushing. Let it simmer until the bananas are warmed through.

Note: you can add colored tapioca threads for a little more aesthetics, or top with chopped roasted peanuts or sesame seeds. You can also add one pandan leaf (tied) to the simmering pudding for flavor (it has a fragrant banana-like scent). I would actually do this if I knew where to find pandan.