A cool, layered glass of chè ba màu brings together tender red beans, a soft mung bean layer, green pandan jelly, coconut milk and crushed ice. This Nam Bộ favourite is part of Vietnam’s broad chè tradition, with home and shop versions that vary in bean, jelly and sweetness. The layers are lovely to look at, then made to mingle with a spoon.
The three colors come from red beans, yellow mung beans and green pandan jelly. A little coconut milk softens their sweetness, while crushed ice keeps each spoonful cool. This version uses canned red beans for ease and dried split mung beans for their mellow, creamy layer. It keeps each component distinct until serving, so the glass stays colorful and the textures remain clear.
Rinse the mung beans, cover with plenty of cool water and soak for 2 hours. Drain before cooking.
Whisk the agar powder and 75 g sugar together in a saucepan, then gradually whisk in 600 ml water. Bring to a full boil, stirring, and boil for 2 minutes or follow the package directions if they require longer. Remove from the heat, stir in pandan extract and 1 g salt, pour into a shallow heatproof dish and chill until fully set, about 60 minutes. Cut into small cubes.
Cook the drained mung beans with 300 ml fresh water and 1 g salt in a covered saucepan over low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft and the water is absorbed. Stir in 50 g sugar, mash lightly to a thick spoonable paste, then cool.
Put the drained red beans, 100 ml water and 30 g sugar in a small saucepan. Warm gently for 5–7 minutes, stirring carefully so most beans stay whole and a light syrup forms. Cool.
Warm the coconut milk, 25 g sugar and 1 g salt over low heat just until the sugar dissolves; do not boil. Transfer to a clean container, cover and refrigerate until cold.
Check that every component is cold. Spoon the red beans, mung bean mixture and pandan jelly into four tall glasses in visible layers. Add crushed ice and pour over the chilled coconut milk.
Serve immediately with long spoons and stir the layers together as desired. Refrigerate remaining components promptly at 4°C / 40°F or below; discard perishable portions left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Keep the beans, jelly and coconut sauce in separate covered containers in the refrigerator until needed. Make the jelly, cook the beans and prepare the coconut sauce up to a day ahead; assemble only when ready to serve. Add the crushed ice last, because melting ice dilutes the sauce. For a less sweet dessert, reduce the coconut-sauce sugar slightly and use unsweetened beans; keep the measured jelly sugar unchanged so the setting remains reliable. Canned kidney beans or adzuki-style red beans both work; drain weight matters more than can size.
The jelly stays soft: Check the agar label and boil for its full recommended time; measure the powder accurately. The mung beans scorch: Lower the heat and stir more often near the end; add a small splash of water if the pan dries before the beans soften. The mung bean layer is loose: Cook until the water is absorbed and mash after the beans are tender; let it cool before layering. The colors bleed: Chill each component fully and layer gently with a spoon. The dessert tastes too sweet: Use unsweetened canned beans and taste before adding their sugar; reduce the coconut sauce sugar next time.
Can I use canned mung beans? Yes, if they are unsweetened and soft, but their texture may be looser. Drain well and add the measured sugar gradually to taste. Can I make the layers ahead? Yes. Prepare them separately up to a day ahead and refrigerate covered. Assemble with ice just before serving. What does pandan taste like? Pandan has a sweet, grassy, vanilla-like aroma. Use a food-grade extract or infuse the jelly water with pandan leaves, then strain them out.
These values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and full-fat canned coconut milk. Brands and the amount of syrup or coconut sauce in each serving can change the totals.
Coconut is present; check local allergen-labeling requirements and the labels on agar, extract and canned products. Chill cooked beans and coconut sauce promptly, store at 4°C / 40°F or below, and do not leave the assembled dessert at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 32°C / 90°F). Use clean utensils and covered containers.
Chè chuối is a comforting Nam Bộ dessert of very ripe banana simmered with small tapioca pearls in coconut milk. Pandan lends a gentle grassy fragrance, and crushed roasted peanuts add a crisp finish. Serve it warm from the pot or chilled after it has cooled safely.
A chewy pandan-coconut cake with a golden crust and fine honeycomb tunnels, baked with tapioca starch.
A crisp, airy Vietnamese baguette filled with juicy roast pork belly, quick carrot-daikon pickle, cucumber and fragrant herbs.
