Delicious Vietnam #6, Hubster's Che with Tapioca, Corn, and Lotus Seeds

Che is the Vietnamese equivalent of pudding in the western world with a terrific twist on it! Instead of western flavors like creamy, sweet chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, and raspberry to name a few, Vietnamese Che is a combination of ingredients such as: coconut milk, beans (all sorts), banana, corn, seaweed, lotus seeds, and basil seeds.

For those of you who are reading this and have not been exposed to such combinations, please don't be afraid or turned off. Che is pure genius! Each bit gives variety, a mixture of textures, and those ingredients I just named above, well, except for a little fat in the coconut milk and the sugar, there are no preservatives! It's usually eaten as a little snack. Hubster tells me of his childhood when he would have some extra money and splurge on his way home from school for some. He also made a point on one of our trips to Vietnam for us to spend an afternoon at the Ben Thanh Market, sampling every type of Che we could! (I'd recommend this to anyone visiting Ho Chi Minh City.)

So here I share Hubster's recipe for the Che I first learned to make. (Not that it is at all difficult!)
For me it also brings back memories of when Hubster and I were first getting to really know each other. We had driven to Maine together for a vacation with my family. Hubster brought all the ingredients we might not have in a small Downeast Maine town; large tapioca, and dried lotus seeds. He showed me how to make it one afternoon and served it for dessert that evening.

Hubster's Tapioca, Corn, and Lotus Seed Che

2 cups dried lotus seeds
1 cups large tapioca or a combination of zigzag tapioca and pearls
4 cans creamed corn
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup chopped, salted peanuts
1 can coconut milk

Preparation: Soak the tapioca 2 hours before cooking. Soak 2 cups lotus seeds overnight.

Directions: Bring the creamy corn to a boil with sugar. Add lotus seeds and tapioca.
Cook and stir for 30-45 minutes over medium heat.
In a different pot, bring coconut milk to a boil.
Chop salted peanuts.

Serve: Place the corn mixture in a serving dish. Spoon 3-4 teaspoons of coconut
milk on top. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve chilled or warm.




I hope everyone enjoys this sweeter side of Vietnamese Cooking. This will be my second entry to Delicious Vietnam #6. Congratulations to the host, Javaholic this month! Please take some time to enjoy and become inspired by the other entries.