A layered coconut milk pudding inspired by che ba mau, with sweet mung bean, red bean, and pandan jelly layers.
Che ba mau, literally 'three-color dessert,' is a beloved Vietnamese sweet drink and dessert built from layers of mung bean paste, sweetened red beans, and green pandan jelly, all topped with crushed ice and coconut milk. This version reworks it into a spoonable pudding, layering the same three components in a glass for a dessert that's eaten with a spoon rather than sipped through a straw. Each layer requires its own preparation: mung beans are steamed and mashed with sugar into a thick paste, red beans are simmered until tender and sweetened, and a pandan-flavored jelly (made with agar or gelatin and pandan extract for its distinct grassy-vanilla aroma and green color) sets separately. Assembled in layers just before serving, the components stay visually distinct rather than blending together. Topped with a generous pour of coconut milk right before eating, this dessert is a genuine reflection of how che desserts work across Vietnam — component-based, customizable, and built around contrasting textures in a single glass or bowl.
Serves 6
Steam or boil soaked mung beans 20-25 minutes until very soft. Mash with sugar while warm until it forms a thick, spreadable paste. Chill.
Simmer soaked red beans in fresh water 40-45 minutes until tender. Drain, stir in sugar while warm, and chill.
Combine agar-agar, water, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking, then simmer 2 minutes. Stir in pandan extract. Pour into a shallow dish and chill until firm, then cut into small cubes.
Warm coconut milk with sugar and salt just until the sugar dissolves. Chill completely.
In clear glasses, layer mung bean paste, then red beans, then pandan jelly cubes.
Top each glass with crushed ice and a generous pour of sweetened coconut milk just before serving. Stir gently to combine before eating.
Soak both the mung beans and red beans for a full 4 hours, or overnight, so they cook evenly and turn properly tender.
Mash the mung bean paste while it's still warm — it firms up and becomes harder to work with once it cools completely.
Cut the pandan jelly into small, even cubes so it layers neatly and is easy to spoon through the finished dessert.
Add a layer of grass jelly (suong sao) for a fourth color and different texture.
Use canned sweetened red beans to save time if you're short on prep hours.
Swap pandan extract for a few drops of vanilla if pandan isn't available, though you'll lose the distinct flavor and green color.
Store each component separately in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Assemble just before serving, since the ice and coconut milk are meant to be added fresh each time.
Che desserts have a long history throughout Vietnam as both street food and home dessert, with che ba mau specifically popularized in Southern Vietnam, its three-layer format believed to be influenced by similar layered dessert drinks found across Southeast Asia.
Yes, canned red beans and even canned sweetened mung bean paste (sold at Asian grocery stores) work well as shortcuts.
It has a distinct grassy, slightly vanilla-like flavor and is used throughout Southeast Asian desserts, roughly comparable to how vanilla is used in Western baking.
Yes, though agar sets firmer and holds up better with the ice and coconut milk added on top; if using gelatin, reduce the water slightly.
Per serving (220g / 7.8 oz) · 6 servings total
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