August 1, 2008

Chè đậu trắng


Chè đậu trắng is a Vietnamese sweet pudding.

Made with black-eyed peas (the legume, not the American hip hop group), sticky rice, and coconut milk, this dessert is usually offered to ancestors during Vietnamese New Year or other special holidays.

Coincidentally, did you know that black-eyed peas are traditionally eaten on New Year's Day in the American South and parts of the US too? However, they're cooked with bacon, ham, and meats, etc. The only place I've seen black-eyed peas in a dish in Vietnam is in dessert form.

I'd have to say that this is my least favorite of Vietnamese chè. The beans, I like in the dish. Maybe it's because of the mushy sticky rice that I don't like. Making it at home is better because I will make it less sweet, and adding ginger to the pudding also makes it tastier.

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