Chè Đậu - Blackeye Peas & Glutinous Rice with Sweet Coconut Sauce

I realize that when I cook, I usually cook a lot- enough to serve 5 people with seconds or to eat for several days. Especially when it comes to dessert, why would I even contemplate on making only 2-3 servings. This chè (soup dessert), one of my favorite Vietnamese dessert, makes 8-10 generous servings.

I also realize that although I have a mother who cooks Vietnamese food like a 4-star chef, she is not a very willing teacher- basically, my mother doesn't really approve of me "slaving" away my time in the kitchen. She would much prefer that I  grind away late nights in an office making lots of real, hard, cold dough- not the flour kind and pun indeed intended! 


But like any other rebellious, independent-minded young (ahem) Asian-American lady her expectations for me just goes in one ear and out the other. I'm sure I'll get my karma comeuppance when I have my own child, but till then, the nagging and subsequent zoning out continues...

With that understanding, thus, I actually never got her recipe for this dessert; every time I ask, she would grunt or snap, "you ask too much!" It wasn't easy observing her either since it's not as though she ever announces when she'll be cooking it. I usually catch her midway or towards the tail end of the process. Therefore, experimentation was in order! After 2 pretty otrocious trial and error (which I had to stomach by myself- no trashing allowed!), I think I finally perfected it because it's been mama approved! I hope you approve too :))

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

•     2* cans Goya blackeye peas (uniformly soft and delicious)- drain, rinse, quick boil for 30 seconds, and drain (*3 cans is OK if you want higher peas to rice ratio)

     or
            3 cups dry blackeye peas- soak overnight or for 3-4 hours then drain; cook until all the peas are uniformly soft and creamy (mmm...) and strain out liquid   

•     1 cup glutinous rice- preferrably long-grain; I like the Thai grown varieties
•     1 bag (14.1 oz/400 g) rock sugar- rinse, set aside

Sweet Coconut Milk Sauce:

•     1 can coconut milk- preferrably Chef's Choice; I find it the creamiest
•     1/2 cup granulated white sugar
•     6 pandan leaves- divide by 2, knot each bunch for compactness; can be found in the refrigerated section of a well-stocked Asian supermarket or any Southeast Asian market
•     3/4 tbs flour (rice, tapioca, all-purpose...take your pick!)- mix with 1 tbs water

Canned (left) & dried (right)

Goya peas- boiled & drained

 

Dry peas- soaked & drained

Equipment

• big pot
• flame distributer/muter

Directions

    1. Wash and strain the glutinious rice til the water runs relatively clear, about 3-4 times.

    2. In a big pot (on a flame distributer/muter, if using) over medium-high flame, cook the glutinous rice and rock sugar in enough clear cold water so there are approximately 4 inches of water above the surface of the rice.

    3. Add one of the knotted pandan leaves to the pot.

    
    4. Periodically, stir the rice gently from the bottom up to prevent burning and ensure even cooking.

    5. When the contents start boiling, turn the flame to low. Continue to periodically stir the contents of pot.

As the glutinous rice cooks, make the Sweet Coconut Milk Sauce:   

    6. In a sauce pot over medium-high flame, add the coconut milk, granulated sugar, and other pandan leaves knot. Add some water to the coconut milk can to get the last of the goodies and pour that water in too.

    7. When the sauce boils, turn the flame to medium-low. Continue to simmer for 5-7 more minutes. Taste to adjust for sweetness.

    8. Mix the flour-water mixture to blend it. Slowly pour it into the sauce, stirring the pot continuously to prevent clumps.

    9. The sauce should start to thicken up slightly. Simmer for another minute or so to completely cook through the flour's rawness. Turn off the fire. Set aside.

Turn your attention back to the glutinous rice:   

    10. When the glutinous rice grain starts to lose its form and the liquid is thckened, then add the blackeye peas. Add more water if the consistency hasn't been reached yet and the liquid is almost all evaporated.

    11. Gently fold the peas into the rice to evenly mix them together.

    12. Place a flame distributer between flame (duh!) and pot. Cook for another 7-10 minutes. 
   Alternative if you don't have a flame distributer: Over very low flame, cook for another 6-7 minutes to heat the peas through. Gently stir mixture from bottom up to prevent burning.

   
   13. Turn off fire, remove pot from heat to let dessert thicken and cool over rack/dish/large coaster. At this point, don't stir anymore so to prevent it from getting all watery, gross and unappetizing!

   
    14. With a big scoop, spoon rice peas mixture in bowl then coconut sauce over it. Mix and eat!

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