Cendol is a Southeast Asian dessert/drink of short strands of pandan jelly, mixed with a palm-sugar syrup and topped with sweetened coconut milk.
In Vietnam, cendol is a popular street food known as Che Banh Lot.
Che Banh Lot literally translates to “Fallen Cake,” which refers to how the pandan jelly is made. The pandan batter “falls through” a cendol maker or potato ricer with large holes to produce the round jellies.
The main ingredient for the pandan jelly is mung bean starch, which can be a bit tricky to find, even in an Asian supermarket. I have tried making this dessert with just tapioca starch and rice flour. It wasn’t as good.
The mung bean starch provides a unique flavor that goes beautifully with the palm sugar syrup and sweetened coconut milk.
To make this dessert, the pandan batter must have the right consistency. It must be thin enough to easily fall through cendol make or potato ricer but thick enough to maintain the round shape.
For the syrup, it’s best to use palm sugar. Palm sugar has great flavor and aroma with a beautiful honey color. If you can’t find palm sugar, substitute with brown sugar for a similar taste.
Che Banh Lot can be served at room temperature or over crushed ice for a refreshing summer time treat.
Vietnamese Pandan Jelly Dessert (Che Banh Lot/Cendol)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
A refreshing Southeast Asian dessert featuring pandan jellies in palm-sugar syrup, topped with sweetened coconut milk.
Ingredients
Pandan Jelly
- 1 cup mung bean starch
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon pandan extract/flavoring
Sugar Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup brown sugar (loosely packed ) or 10 oz palm sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Other Ingredients
- Large bowl of ice water
- Vietnamese Sweetened Coconut Milk Sauce
Equipment Needed
Instructions
- Make the batter: In a large sauce pan, mix together mung bean starch, rice flour, sugar, water and pandan extract until dissolved (without heat). Cook on medium-high heat while whisking. When the starch starts cooking, the starch will feel heavy. Lower the heat and continue to whisk vigorously until the batter thickens into a translucent dark green paste.
- Make the jelly: In batches, transfer paste into the cendol maker and gently press the handle down to extrude 2-3 inches of paste into a bowl of ice cold water.
- Make the syrup: Heat water, sugar and salt in a medium sauce pan over medium low heat. Simmer for a few minutes until dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool.
- Assemble and serve: To assemble, add jelly to a glass. Ladle in sugar syrup then top with coconut cream. Mix well and enjoy. Che Banh Lot can be served at room temperature or cold with crushed ice.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: dessert, drink
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese, southeast asian
