Name: Bananas and Coconut Milk with Tapioca Pearls
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings as part of a multi-dish meal
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: ½ cup Granulated sugar; 1 lb. (454 g.) Bananas, “baby” variety whole or large bananas cut on diagonal into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces; 1 can Coconut milk (about 14 oz.); 1 tbsp. Toasted sesame seeds or crushed roasted peanuts; 4 lg. Pandan leaves, tied into one knot; ¼ cup Tapioca pearls, small variety (about the size of mustard seeds); ½ tsp. Kosher salt; 4 cups (1 L.) Water

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 6
servings as part of a multi-dish meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Southeast Asian Flavors

By Robert Danhi

Published 2008

About

The banana flavor permeates this creamy coconut milk dessert “soup.” This is a very common chè (sweet snack). Using the smaller variety of bananas known as “finger bananas” is ideal, but ripe, yet firm regular (Cavendish) bananas will suffice. Be unbound with your creative license: substitute slices of cooked sweet potato (adding to simmering tapioca after 10 minutes) or even taro in place of bananas for a change. You can serve it still warm, at room temperature, or chilled (the cool