Sweet, hearty, and flavorful, this Vietnamese sweet corn pudding is pure comfort in a bowl. In this recipe, I’ll be teaching you how to make authentic Chè Bắp at home, from the aromatic corn and rice pudding to the luscious coconut milk sauce.
What is Chè Bắp?
Chè Bắp is a Vietnamese pudding dessert made from sweet corn and glutinous rice topped with a thick sauce made from coconut milk. Pandan leaves are also added to give the dish a lovely aroma and to round out the flavors. Directly translated to English, Bắp means corn while Chè is a word that is used for sweet soups, puddings, or drinks. That is why Chè Bắp is sometimes referred to as sweet corn soup – even though it doesn’t really seem like a soup!
It’s a wonderfully nostalgic treat for us Vietnamese people. The aroma of corn, coconut milk, and pandan reminds me so much of my mother’s cooking. I love making this dessert at home because it brings such great memories and I want to pass on the love for this sweet Vietnamese treat to my daughter.
Ingredients for Chè Bắp
When making your sweet corn pudding, there are a few things I want to highlight when it comes to the ingredients.
Though it’s usually just called sweet corn pudding, Chè Bắp is also made with rice. The rice you want to use here is glutinous rice, also known as sticky rice or sweet rice. It’s very different from regular white rice, so you won’t be able to use that as a substitute. Meanwhile, when picking the rice flour, be sure to get regular rice flour instead of glutinous rice flour.
To make this recipe even more flavorful, I like to use both the kernels and the cob of the corn. It adds a deeper corn flavor to the pudding and is economical too!
The pandan leaves in the recipe also add a lot of flavor to both the pudding and the coconut sauce, so try not to skip this ingredient. You can typically find pandan leaves in the Asian grocery store, either frozen or fresh. I personally love using home-grown produce in my cooking, so I highly recommend growing pandan leaves in your garden. If you need ideas on what to do with them, I have a lot of delicious recipes that feature pandan on my blog. In a pinch, you can also use pandan extract.
How to Serve Chè Bắp
You can eat your sweet corn pudding either warm or chilled. I love to enjoy the pudding and sauce on their own, but you can also top the dish with toasted sesame seeds or mix in some cooked tapioca pearls for added texture and flavor.
I hope you enjoy the recipe! If you tried it, be sure to send me a message and let me know what you think. You can also check out my YouTube channel for more classic Vietnamese recipes. Happy cooking!
Vietnamese Corn and Rice Pudding with Coconut Sauce| Chè Bắp
Ingredients
- 3 Ears of Corn
- ½ Cup Sweet Rice
- 1/3 Cup Sugar
- ¼ Tsp. Salt
- 5 Pandan Leaves
- 1 L. Water
- 2 Tsp. Rice Flour
- 1 Tsp. Tapioca Starch
- 1/3 Cup Water
- 400 mL. Coconut Milk
- 1 Tsp. Tapioca Starch
- 1 Tsp. Rice Flour
- 2 Tbsp. Sugar
- 1/3 Cup Water
- ¼ Tsp. Salt
- 4 Pandan Leaves
Instructions
- Remove the kernels from the corn on the cob. Chop the corn cob into smaller pieces.
- Pour your water into a pot and add the chopped corn cob. Cover and bring to a boil. Let the water boil for 5 minutes, then bring to a simmer for 5 more minutes. Drain the water into a large bowl.
- Transfer the water from the corn cobs into a large pot and add the corn kernels and the pandan leaves. You can knot the pandan leaves into a bundle to make them easier to work with.
- Turn on the heat and add the sweet rice, sugar, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Add the rice flour and tapioca starch to the 1/3 cup of water and stir until well-combined.
- Once the water with rice is boiling, keep covered and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- While still cooking, pour in the starch and water mixture and combine thoroughly.
- Keep mixing to keep the pudding from sticking or burning. Continue until you’ve reached a pudding-like consistency, then take it off the heat and set aside.
- Now, we’ll make the coconut sauce. Combine the coconut milk, pandan leaves, sugar, and salt.
- Combine the rice flour with the water, then pour into the coconut milk mixture. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil with continuous stirring.
- Let it cook until the coconut milk has thickened then turn off the heat. Take out the pandan leaves.
- Transfer the pudding into bowls and pour the coconut milk on top. Serve and enjoy!