Che Ba Mau (Three-Color Bean Dessert)

Che ba mau, the three-color dessert, is a glass full of bright layers — green pandan jelly, yellow mung beans, and red beans — crowned with coconut milk and crushed ice. It is sold from carts all over southern Vietnam, where the weather demands something cold and sweet. Every spoonful is a different color and a different texture. It is also the dessert that children beg for at every market stall.

Layered jelly, beans, and coconut milk over crushed ice

The pandan jelly is soft and jiggly with a floral, vanilla-like scent, while the mung and red beans are tender and lightly sweet. Coconut milk pulls all three layers together, rich and cooling against the crushed ice. Stir it up and you get a rainbow in a glass, a dessert that is as fun to look at as it is to eat. Assemble the glasses just before serving so the layers stay crisp and pretty. It is the classic ending to a Vietnamese meal.

Craving more? Explore all Vietnamese Kitchen recipes.

Vietnamese recipes →