Vietnamese Dessert Recipe: Chè Chuối.

A classic dessert in southern Vietnam, Chè Chuối is, as close as I can describe it, a banana pudding of sorts. It has quite a unpleasant presentation, but delicious and semi more healthy than typical American desserts.

The Vietnamese use lots of fruits and coconut milk in their desserts, lessening the need for added sugars and high-fructose syrups.

Recipe:: yields 3-5 servings
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- 1cup of water
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1/2 cup of sugar (you could even go with 1/4 cup).
- 1/4th cup of tapioca pearls (you can find these usually at any international market).
- pinch of salt
-3-4 ripened bananas
- Crushed peanuts (optional)


-Mix together the coconut milk (saving about 1/4th of the can for the end), sugar, salt, and water together and let them boil until the mixture starts to bubble.

- Add the tapioca pearls and stir occasionally, letting them simmer for 20-30 min. until they turn completely clear.
While you wait, you can peel and chop up the bananas into bite-size pieces.
If the mixture gets too thick, add a bit more water. Think of a "tomato basil soup" kind of texture.

- As soon as the pearls turn clear, add the bananas and let them simmer for another 8-10 min., stirring occasionally.

- Mix in the rest of the coconut milk, and let it cool for 20-30 min. until it's not too hot to eat. Add the peanuts on top as a garnish.

And viola! You have created a traditional Vietnamese dessert!


As far as desserts go, this is really quite a simple and cheap dish to make. It shouldn't run you over $8 total, and it really quite tasty!
You can store it for up to 3-4 days (I wouldn't go over a week) in the fridge, but I bet it'll be gone by the 3rd day. :)

Homemade Chè Chuối.