Vietnamese recipe:Che Chuoi, Banana pudding

Another dessert! Again with bananas! This is a little bit different, but definitely in the same flavour combinations. I really enjoy this because, again, it is so easy to make and so delicious too! It is also very comforting as you can eat this warm. Perfect dessert for a cold day!

As a kid, I would take only one banana piece and fill my dessert bowl with the coconut tapioca and add a few spoonfuls of sesame seeds: this was my favourite way of eating this dessert (and sometimes, it still is).

Here is what you need:

• 1/4 cup tapioca pearls
• 3 cups of water
• 500 mL coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 just-ripe bananas (we don’t want any spots)
• dash of salt

Sesame Garnish:

• 1/2 cup white sesame seeds

Here is what you do:

1. Bring the water to a boil.
2. Pour the small tapioca pearls and give a quick stir. Let the beads expand and cook until there is only a little white dot in the middle of each pearl. Set on medium heat. Use a non-stick sauce pan because this is sticky!
   

   
3. In a different sauce pan, pour the coconut milk and bring to a boil.
4. Pour the tapioca pearls and their remaining cooking water into the coconut milk. Mix well and add some water until you reach the desired consistency (we added 2 cups).
5. Taste and add the sugar accordingly (you might add less if your bananas are really sweet).
6. Peel the bananas and cut in 3 parts diagonally. In a large bowl, add water and the pinch of salt. Dip the banana pieces in this salty water to avoid browning. Add them to the coconut milk. 
7. Bring back to a boil and remove from heat.
8. For the sesame garnish: Rinse the sesame seeds and put them in a metal sauce pan set on medium heat. Shake the pan often to avoid burning. You want the seeds to be golden, so keep an eye on them.
9. Serve hot.

This is so good! The sesame seeds bring out the sweetness of the bananas and add a great flavour to the perfect banana-coconut combo. Let me know if you try this out!