Pandan Jelly Dessert (Che Banh Lot)

This Pandan Jelly Dessert (Che Banh Lot) recipe features silky jelly served with crushed ice, palm sugar syrup and coconut sauce. The worm-shaped Pandan jelly is deliciously slippery with a slightly chewy texture making it a whole lot of fun to eat! A refreshing sweet treat, it’s especially thirst-quenching on a hot summer day. Traditionally served as a cold dessert soup (che), Pandan Jelly Dessert can also be enjoyed as a cool drink. Make this wonderful dessert to enjoy today!

Notes on the Pandan Jelly Dessert (Che Banh Lot) Recipe, Tips and Tricks

The main ingredient for the Pandan jelly is mung bean starch. Mung bean starch is a powdery, white starch made from mung beans. It’s commonly used to make bean thread noodle, also called cellophane or glass noodle. This starch has gelling properties making it a wonderful ingredient in vegetarian jellies. Purchase mung bean starch at an Asian grocer or online. In the stores, it’s stocked in the section with the flours and other starches.

You may find the worm-shaped jelly, short round strands with tapered ends, a bit unusual, but the shape is really intended to look like worms. To make the perfect jelly worms, the batter must have the right consistency–flowing slowly to create worms with tapered ends. The batter should be thick but still be able to fall in ribbons off the whisk.

Use a potato ricer to make the jelly. The one I have has 2 interchangeable plates and I am using the one with the larger holes.

Press gently on the potato ricer handle to extrude the jelly about 1 inch long. The warm jelly should automatically separate and drop into the ice bath. This natural oozing creates the tapered ends on the jelly.

Work quickly while the batter is warm and pliable. Once the batter gets cold, it won’t flow as needed and you’ll have to work to extrude the jelly. The jelly also gets lumpy when it cools. There’s about 3 batches of batter to run through the potato ricer. Extruding all the jelly should take less than 5 minutes.

If you don’t have a potato ricer, look for items in your kitchen with round holes about 1/4 inch in diameter. Use a spoon or spatula to push the jelly mixture through the holes to make the worms. Here are a few things to try:

• colander
• cheese grater
• skimmer or spoon

Alternatively, make the jelly with a piping bag. Use a round decorator’s tip or simply cut the end of the bag to size. Pipe the jelly worms and drop into the ice water.

Palm sugar has a natural sweet taste and lovely honey color. If you haven’t tried palm sugar syrup, here’s your chance. It’s delicious! Substitute palm sugar with brown sugar or brown slab sugar if not available.

Many Vietnamese cafes serve Pandan jelly with sugared red beans, mung bean paste, tropical fruits or faux pomegranate seeds to make assorted icy drinks. Try the Pandan jelly with your favorites to make more awesome dessert combinations!

Watch the video for instructions.

Pandan Jelly Dessert / Che Banh Lot / Cendol / Lod Chong

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Pandan Jelly Dessert / Che Banh Lot / Cendol / Lod Chong

Course: Dessert, Drinks

Cuisine: Asian, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 293 kcal

Author: Trang

This Pandan Jelly Dessert (Che Banh Lot) recipe features silky jelly served with crushed ice, palm sugar syrup and coconut sauce. The worm-shaped Pandan jelly is deliciously slippery with a slightly chewy texture making it a whole lot of fun to eat! A refreshing sweet treat, it's especially thirst-quenching on a hot summer day. Traditionally served as a cold dessert soup (che), Pandan Jelly Dessert can also be enjoyed as a cool drink. Make this wonderful dessert to enjoy today!

Ingredients

Pandan Jelly

• 2 3/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup mung bean starch
• 3 Tbsp rice flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/8 tsp Pandan paste

Syrup

• 8 oz palm sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• pinch of salt

Coconut Sauce

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp tapioca starch
• pinch of salt

Standard - Metric

Instructions

Making the Pandan Jelly

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, mung bean starch, rice flour, sugar, salt and Pandan paste. Mix together combining all ingredients well.
2. Set the heat to Medium Low and warm the mixture while stirring continuously.

3. After cooking for 3-4 minutes, small lumps should start forming and clinging to the whisk. Start whisking quickly and continue as the batter thickens. (The jelly batter thickens quickly, going from liquid to a thick paste in about 1 minute.)

4. Once all the liquid is absorbed and the batter is a thick paste, reduce the heat to Low. Continue stirring the jelly batter, cooking until it turns translucent, another 2-3 minutes.

5. Add 4 cups ice into a large bowl and enough cold water to fill the bowl halfway.

6. Transfer the jelly batter into a potato ricer filling it half-full. Gently press on the handle to extrude the jelly about 1 inch long and let it drop into the ice water. Continue making the jelly until all the batter is used. Work quickly while the batter is warm.

7. Gently stir the jelly and let soak in the cold water for at least 10 minutes.

Making the Syrup

1. Transfer the palm sugar, water and salt into a medium saucepan. Cook over Medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, approximately 8-10 minutes.
2. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to cool.

Making the Coconut Sauce

1. In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk, sugar, tapioca starch and salt. Heat the mixture over Medium heat stirring frequently. When the sauce just comes to a boil, remove from the heat.

2. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to cool.

Serving the Pandan Jelly Dessert

1. Add some crushed ice into a dessert bowl. Spoon in some Pandan Jelly. Top with palm sugar syrup and coconut sauce to taste.

2. Refrigerate any remaining Pandan Jelly Dessert and enjoy within 1-2 days.

Recipe Video

Notes, Tips & Tricks

• The batter should be thick but still be able to fall in ribbons off the spatula.
• Work quickly while the batter is warm and pliable. Once cooled, the batter won't flow freely and you'll have to work to extrude the jelly.
• There's about 3 batches of batter to process through the potato ricer. Extruding all the jelly should take less than 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Pandan Jelly Dessert / Che Banh Lot / Cendol / Lod Chong

Amount Per Serving

Calories 293 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Sodium 86mg4%

Potassium 82mg2%

Carbohydrates 45g15%

Sugar 32g36%

Vitamin C 0.4mg0%

Calcium 10mg1%

Iron 1.2mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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