Che do dai is named for the washing, because every last bit of skin has to be rubbed off the beans. Done properly it is glossy and smooth, thick once cool, and served with coconut filled tapioca balls and grass jelly.
The hardest part is whipping the beans, since beans beaten cold stay grainy instead of smooth. A pinch of salt in the pot helps the beans break down faster. Whip them while hot, then cook them with the sweetener. Do it the other way around and the che turns dry and crumbly.
This batch weighs about 815g, at roughly 186 calories per 100g.
Method
Choose 200g small mung beans still in their skins with yellow centers, which give a fuller flavor than pre hulled beans.
Rub the skins off, soak for 3 to 4 hours until the skins loosen, then wash and rinse until every trace of skin is gone.
Put the cleaned beans in a pot with 1/4 teaspoon fine salt and cover with water. The usual ratio is 1 part beans to 3 parts water, or 4 parts water for older beans.
Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer over low heat until the beans are very soft, stirring now and then so nothing catches on the bottom.
Whip the beans with a ladle while they are still hot until thick, soft and glossy. Move them to a pan with 180g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and cook until thick, then add a little vanilla. Spoon out and cool, and the che will set thicker.
Make the tapioca balls: dice young coconut meat small for the filling. Put 200g tapioca starch in a large bowl with 30 to 40g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1/2 teaspoon lime juice. Boil 200ml water and pour it in slowly, mixing until the starch is cooked.
Wearing gloves, knead the dough until smooth and pliable. Take small pieces, roll and flatten them, add the coconut filling and roll them closed. Boil the balls for 20 minutes, turn off the heat and leave them covered for 15 to 20 minutes. Lift them out, rinse in cool water and steep in syrup.
Crush ice into a glass, spoon in the mung bean che, then add diced grass jelly, tapioca balls and shredded coconut. Add a few drops of banana extract if you like.
Tips
A pinch of salt in the pot is the trick that gets the beans soft faster.
Whipping the beans hot and cooking them with the sweetener afterwards is what makes the che glossy and thick once cool.
Cook over low heat and stir constantly, because high heat scorches the bottom of the pan.
The boiled tapioca balls need their full resting time to turn clear and chewy. Lifted out early, they stay cloudy in the center.
The che keeps for 2 days in the fridge. Warm it slightly before adding ice.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so cook 2 to 3 minutes longer and taste for any remaining grit.
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.