Banh Bot Bang (Steamed Tapioca Pearl Balls with Mung Bean)

Method

1. Bring water to a boil and pour in 400 g tapioca pearls slowly, stirring so they do not clump. Boil for about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let them soak for 5 to 10 minutes until plump and clear.
2. Drain the pearls thoroughly in a colander, put them in a bowl and mix them with 54 g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend while still warm so it dissolves.
3. Soak 200 g split mung beans until soft, steam them, mash them until smooth, then mix with 63 g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and a little vanilla and roll into small balls.
4. Divide the pearls into portions for coloring, and mix each portion with its share of the 5 tablespoons tapioca starch.
5. Spread out a sheet of cling film, place a portion of pearls on it, flatten it, set a mung bean ball in the middle and roll it closed like a rice ball. Steam for 10 to 15 minutes, until the shells turn clear.
6. Mix 400 ml coconut milk with 200 ml cold water and 63 g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, bring it to a boil to dissolve, then add 5 pandan leaves and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes for aroma. Add a little tapioca starch to thicken it slightly.
7. Arrange the balls in bowls, pour over the coconut milk and scatter roasted peanuts and roasted sesame seeds on top.

Tips

• Mix the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend in while the pearls are still warm so it dissolves and spreads evenly, since cold pearls leave it sitting at the bottom of the bowl.
• Pour the pearls into boiling water slowly with constant stirring so they do not clump.
• The pearls have to swell clear all the way through, since a cloudy center means the finished balls stay hard.
• Keep the mung bean filling balls modest in size, as an oversized one leaves the shell thin and prone to tearing during steaming.
• A little tapioca starch in the coconut milk thickens it just enough to cling to the balls.