[Vietnamese Recipes] Che Dau Trang - Black Eyed Peas Rice Pudding

Today I have the pleasure of showing you how to make one of my childhood desserts. This is my mom’s favorite and she used to make it for my family often. Che Dau Trang is a typical Vietnamese dessert — it is simple, sweet and has a touch of creamy coconut milk. The dessert can be eaten warm; but, during the summer months I like to eat this dessert chilled straight from the refrigerator. The sweet rice with the soft beans and creamy coconut sauce combine together for a velvety feel with just a bit of texture from the beans.

It been a pleasure to contribute to The Ravenous Couple blog. It is one of my favorite blogs to read, not only for the recipes and creative photos but for stories that make it unique. Here is to wishing you a happy life together full of great experiences and fantastic eats.

Che Dau Trang ~ Black Eyed Peas Rice Pudding

Ingredients

Che Dau Ingredients:

1 cup of glutinous sweet rice
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of sugar
1 can of black eyed peas

Coconut Sauce Ingredients:

1 can of coconut milk
1/4 cup of half and half
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
3 teaspoons of sugar

Directions:

In an 8-cup sauce pan add the sweet rice with the 4 cups of water. Cover and cook over medium heat. The rice will be cooked in 20-30 minutes. I suggest you stir the rice in the final 5-10 minutes of cooking, because sweet rice tends to stick to the bottom of the pan rather easily. You want the finished rice to be a little runny but not thick as mashed potatoes. You can always add a few teaspoons of water to loosen the rice if it is too thick.

Once the rice has finished cooking, turn off the stove. Drain and rinse a can of black eyed peas and then add it to the sweet sticky rice. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and fold everything together. Transfer the che into a heat proof bowl and let it cool before placing it into the refrigerator.

To make the coconut sauce, pour a can of coconut milk into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the half and half to make a slurry and then slowly stir it into the simmering coconut milk. Mix in the sugar and then turn off the heat.

To serve, scoop a few spoonfuls of the che into a bowl and then drizzle with a few spoons of the coconut sauce and enjoy. I've also seen this che topped off with crushed peanuts and roasted sesame seeds, so if you have those ingredients around give it a try.

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Theravenouscouple.com. Thanks so much!