Che Dau Van (Quang Nam Hyacinth Bean Sweet Soup), Sweetened with Monk Fruit
Sweets and drinksSweet SoupsVietnamAbout 50 minutes, not counting 8 hours to soak the beans
The Quang Nam cup starts with che dau van. What makes it good is whole hyacinth beans sitting in a thickened liquid scented with pandan. The hard part is stirring gently, because steamed beans break apart easily.
The beans soak for 8 hours and then get rubbed lightly to slip their skins, after which they steam for 30 minutes rather than boil. The tapioca slurry goes in slowly, and the pouring stops the moment the liquid reaches the body you want.
This batch weighs about 2.8kg, at roughly 23 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 500g hyacinth beans, soak them in cold water for about 8 hours or overnight, then rub them gently between the hands to slip off the skins.
Rinse the beans again and steam them for about 30 minutes until cooked through. A rice cooker works in place of a steamer.
Wash the pandan leaves and cut them into long lengths.
Dissolve 100g tapioca starch in water.
Set a pot on the stove with 2 liters of water and bring it to a boil. Add 225g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and the cut pandan leaves and stir well.
Once it returns to a boil, lift out the pandan leaves and pour in the tapioca slurry slowly while stirring. Stop as soon as the liquid reaches the thickness you want.
Add the steamed beans to the pot and fold them through very gently so they stay whole. Turn off the heat once the pot comes back to a boil.
Ladle into cups and add shaved ice.
Tips
More or less of the tapioca slurry is all it takes to make the soup thicker or thinner.
Stir with a light hand, because steamed beans break apart easily.
Steaming rather than boiling keeps the beans whole and the liquid clearer.
Pour the tapioca slurry in a thin stream while stirring constantly so no lumps form.
Rub the skins off the soaked hyacinth beans gently, since a heavy hand splits them in two and clouds the liquid.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.