Nga Nguyen

Vietnamese sweet potato dumplings and fruits dessert (chè khoai lang và hoa quả)

9-year-old (deep in thought): Mom, I have a belly button so I can eat in your tummy, right?

Me: Yup!

9-year-old: So, when God created the first two persons, do they have belly buttons too?

Me: ???

Vietnamese sweet potato Dumplings and fruits dessert (chè khoai lang và hoa quả)

(Adapted from Vanh Khuyen Le)

For the sweet potato dumplings:
1 small Japanese purple sweet potato, about 150-200 g (peeled, cubed)
1 small yellow sweet potato, about 150-200 g (peeled, cubed)
Tapioca starch

Tapioca pearls:
200 g tapioca pearls

For the coconut sauce:
1 can of coconut cream (400 ml)
3 cups milk (750 ml)
250 g condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Fresh fruits
1 ripe mango (cubed)
2 bananas (cubed)
Or other fruits of your choice (dragon fruits, ripe peaches, etc.)

To make the sweet potato dumplings:

To make the tapioca pearls:

  1. Put cubed sweet potatoes in a large bowl with 1 tbs salt.
  2. Prepare a large bowl with about 10 tbs tapioca starch. Set aside
  3. In a medium saucepan, heat water over medium high.
  4. When the water boils, add sweet potatoes and cook until just tendered.
  5. Drain the sweet potatoes and add them immediately to bowl with the tapioca starch.
  6. Cover the potatoes with a thick layer of tapioca starch.
  7. Shake to remove excess starch.
  8. In the same saucepan, heat the water over medium high.
  9. When the water boils, add the dumplings.
  10. Leave untouched for a minute.
  11. Use a spoon or chopsticks to gently stir the dumplings so they don’t stick together.
  12. When the dumplings float to the top, cook for another minute.
  13. Drain and put immediately into a bowl with iced water.
  14. Set aside

To make tapioca pearls

  1. In a saucepan, heat water over medium high.
  2. When the water boils, add tapioca pearls.
  3. Leave untouched for 2 minutes.
  4. Then cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Cover and turn off the heat.
  6. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
  7. Uncover, stir.
  8. Then cover and let it rest for another minute.
  9. Drain the pearls in a strainer under running cold water.
  10. Set aside.

To make coconut sauce

  1. In a saucepan, simmer coconut cream over medium heat.
  2. Add milk and stir.
  3. Add condensed milk and stir until dissolved.
  4. Turn off the heat.
  5. Add vanilla extract.

To assemble the dessert:

  1. In a large serving bowl, add drained sweet potato dumplings + drained tapioca pearls + cubed fresh fruits.
  2. Add coconut sauce.
  3. Gently mix.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (best is over night).
  5. Serve cold without ice.