Fresh corn and tapioca cooked in sweet coconut milk. This Vietnamese Corn and Coconut Pudding is the perfect summer dessert.
So I was craving something sweet the other day. And since I just bought a ton of corn, I decided I wanted to use it to make dessert.
Are you familiar with Vietnamese desserts? It’s not as popular as some other Asian desserts, I feel.
But, oftentimes, you can find a limited selection at the end of the menu in a Vietnamese restaurant. Or if you’re lucky, you might even find a Vietnamese dessert shop. In the SF Bay Area, you should definitely give Bambu a visit. They give you a decent selection to pick from and you can add or take away toppings with no extra charge. In other words, you can customize it to your taste. What could be better?
Vietnamese desserts are called che. It’s a word that describes sweet drinks, puddings, and dessert soups. Yes, I know, that sounds weird. But it’s soo good. And unfortunately, photos don’t do this dessert justice, but I hope that you will give it a try anyway if you haven’t had it before.
Vietnamese Corn and Coconut Pudding is called Che Bap. It usually consists of fresh corn, mini tapioca, coconut milk, and sugar. Seriously easy to make and so delicious. This dessert is different and perfect for summer with all the fresh corn available at the market right now.
Each bite consists of sweet corn, the creaminess of coconut milk, and the pudding texture from the tapioca.
First, boil about a cup of water in a small pot.
While the water is boiling, use a knife to cut the corn off the cob. You want the sizes of the corn to be about a half kernel. So make two slices. You’ll want to separate the kernels so that they don’t stick to each other.
In a small bowl, add the mini tapioca. They will look solid white. Soak them in water for about 5 minutes. You want the water level to cover the tapioca plus a centimeter more. The tapioca will soak up the water and soften.
Once the water comes to a boil, add the cut corn and lower the heat so that it’s simmering. After about 2-3 minutes, pour in the coconut milk and stir in the sugar. Stir until the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Cook the corn and coconut for about 6-8 minutes until the corn has softened.
Drain the tapioca if needed and stir them into the pot. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. The tapioca will turn a clear color.
Remove the pot from heat, and allow the corn pudding to cool. As the pudding cools, the coconut milk will start to thicken.
Serve the corn pudding warm or cold.
Hope you’ll like this as much as I do!
- 2 corn on the cob with husk and silk removed
- 1 cup water + a little more for tapioca pearls
- 1 14 oz coconut milk
- ⅜ cups granulated sugar
- ⅛ cup mini tapioca pearls
- First, boil the cup of water in a small pot.
- In a small bowl, add the mini tapioca pearls and soak them in water. Fill the bowl with water until the tapioca pearls are covered by about a centimeter. After about 5 minutes, the tapioca pearls will start to soften.
- While waiting for the water to boil, cut the corn kernels off the cob in thin pieces. Separate the corn as best as you can.
- Once the water boils, add the corn and turn down the heat, allowing the corn to simmer for a few minutes, about 3-5 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut milk and add the granulated sugar, and stir to evenly incorporate the ingredients.
- After another 4-5 minutes, stir in the tapioca pearls. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. The tapioca pearls will turn from a solid white to a transparent color.
- Remove the corn and coconut pudding away from the heat. Allow them to cool for a few minutes before serving.
My daughter-in -law made it for me. Terrible, corn is not for dessert, in my books. made me run to the bathroom, and taste not that great. Just tapioca is fine thanks.
This pudding is a really interesting concept to me; one I’d like to try. And you can’t go wrong with coconut milk!
Looks very tasty and interesting! As always, your pictures are great! 🙂
Since our 2008 10-day visit, I have a soft spot for anything Vietnamese.