Taro is one of the most versatile root vegetable in Vietnamese cuisine. It is used often in both savory and sweet dishes. One of the more popular rendition of taro is chè khoai môn or taro with sweet rice pudding. Steamed taro is added to a ginger syrup, mixed with sticky rice pudding and topped with a spoonful of coconut milk. This desert is deceptively simple and is also a wonderful snack or dessert.
Difficulty: Easy / Servings: 6 / Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
2 cups of sweet rice
4 lb. of taro peeled
1/2 cup of julienne ginger (approximately 1 large ginger root)
2 cups of sugar
1 can of coconut milk
1/2 tablespoon of tapioca powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Directions:
Peel and cut the taro into fist size segments. Steam the taro for 30 minutes. It will be easier to cut the taro into smaller cubes once the taro is cooked.
Once the taro is cooked, cut them into 1 inch cubes.
Heat a pot with 6 cups of water and 2 cups of sweet rice. Cook the rice on a low boil for 30 minutes and stir occasionally so that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. This will resemble a thick porridge after 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
In another pot, boil 5 cups of water with 1/2 cup of julienne ginger and 2 cups of sugar.
Once the sugar has dissolved (approx. 5 minutes), add the steamed taro and cook on high heat for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, add the rice porridge to the taro pot. Stir to incorporate the ingredients. Turn off the heat.
Make coconut sauce:
In a small pot on medium heat, combine 1 can of coconut milk, 1/2 a can of water, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 tablespoon of tapioca powder with 1 teaspoon of water. Once the coconut milk comes to a low boil, add the tapioca water and stir until the tapioca has dissolved into the coconut milk. The tapioca water will thicken up the milk so it becomes a sauce.
This pudding is best served warm top with coconut milk.
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