How to Make Che Suong Sa Hat Luu (Grass Jelly and Water Chestnut Dessert)
Sweets and drinksSweet SoupsVietnamAbout 1 hour, not counting the time for the jelly to set
Che suong sa hat luu is a layered glass: chewy translucent water chestnut pieces, cool jelly and rich coconut milk poured over the top. Water chestnut coated in tapioca starch is what creates that crunchy hat luu texture.
The hardest part is the coating, since a thin one leaves the pieces without their chewy shell. Dust the starch on in several passes and toss well, which builds a thick, clear coating. Lift each piece out the moment it floats and drop it into ice water to keep the crunch.
This batch weighs about 2.5kg, at roughly 74 calories per 100g.
Method
Peel 200g of water chestnut, rinse it and dice it into even pieces.
Divide the water chestnut into equal portions if you want several colors, add a few drops of natural food coloring to each and toss to coat.
Dust 150g of tapioca starch over each portion in several passes, tossing so the starch covers every piece in a thin shell.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pieces in batches. They are done the moment they float. Lift them out at once into a bowl of ice water.
Dissolve 1 packet of white grass jelly powder, 50g, in the amount of water given on the packet and add a few pandan leaves. Cook until the powder is fully dissolved, pour into a mold, cool and chill until set.
Put 1.5 liters of water in a pot with 200 to 250g of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and stir gently until dissolved. Add the pandan leaves, bring to a gentle boil, then lift the pandan out.
Once the syrup is clear again, add the cooked water chestnut pieces and simmer 2 to 3 minutes so they take on the sweetness.
In another pot, heat 400ml of coconut milk with 1/3 teaspoon of salt and 1 vial of vanilla powder. Do not let it boil hard, since coconut milk splits easily.
Cut the set jelly into cubes or thin strips. Put the jelly, the water chestnut pieces and the syrup in a glass, pour the coconut milk over and add ice.
Tips
Several passes of tapioca starch over the water chestnut give the pieces a chewy, clear shell.
Lift the boiled pieces straight into ice water to hold the crunch.
Heat the coconut milk gently and never at a hard boil, or it splits.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so give the syrup one more stir before the pandan goes in.
Cook the water chestnut in small batches. All at once and the pieces clump together.
Cut the jelly once it is fully cold for clean edges. Cut warm, it tears.
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.