Homemade Che Dau

Mom made a Vietnamese sticky rice pudding with black-eyed beans aka che dau the other day.

She boiled one cup of sticky rice, sugar, black-eyed beans (rinsed from two cans), and water together. After the pot came to a boil, the heat was turned down to a gentle simmer. Mom was very happy with how it turned out. The pudding was crystal clear for once. It’s usually murky when she makes it, but my aunt (who is Vietnamese) told her the secret solution to the problem.

“You could sell this batch!” Mom proudly gloated from the kitchen. It’s quite rare when she’s actually excited about something, so I knew it must be good.

Apparently they call this dessert che dau in Cambodia too. The only difference is that the Cambodians mix the salted coconut milk in with the pudding; whereas, the Vietnamese serve the coconut milk on the side. Since Mom wanted to show off the clear pudding, she warmed up some coconut milk and seasoned it with a bit of salt in a separate pot.

To serve, you scoop out some of the sticky rice pudding and then drizzle a bit of coconut milk. It's all self-serve in our house (unless you're the guest, of course). We ate the thick pudding while it was still warm. Mmm…!