Taste of Vietnam: Cheers for Chè
Chè Chuối - Brandon Nguyen
I remember the times when my grandmother would prepare special desserts for the entire family. Every night, it was something different; I don't know how she did it. Probably the most memorable dessert to me was her signature chè chuối, described in Ăn: To Eat, by chef Helene An and her daughter Jacqueline An, as "banana pudding" (An Helene & Jacqueline 252). I chose to make chè chuối on behalf of my grandmother, the wonderful dishes she would make for me, and my fondest memories of her that will forever live in my heart.
The recipe calls for five bananas halved lengthwise. As I previously mentioned, cutting is extremely challenging for me. I am terrified of knives and hate being around them. I was relieved because bananas are super easy to cut. Despite the simplicity, cutting the bananas was good practice. From thereon, I realized that making this was like a walk in the park.
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| The bananas sit in two tablespoons of sugar for 15 minutes after they have been halved. |
Moreover, boiling water in a pot was something that was new for me (it is humiliating, I know). In the chapter, "Basic Techniques" in Ăn: To Eat, Helene and Jacqueline An suggest leaving "enough room in your pot for the liquid molecules to expand as they heat up" (An Helene & Jacqueline 36). In other words, make sure there is enough space for your water to bubble; it was pretty straightforward and, in addition, I successfully boiled water.
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| Tapioca pearls are added once the water is brought to a boil. |
Overall, this recipe was simple. I would play around with the level of sweetness, for my chè was not sweet enough. On top of that, it had a soup-like consistency and could have been a little thicker. If I were to make this again, I would just eyeball the ingredients instead of measuring them and make small adjustments from the book's recipe. Sure, the chè I made is nothing compared to my grandmother's, but I think I deserve a pat on the back. What do you think? Is it better to eyeball the ingredients and have a taste test or measure the ingredients out exactly? How can I improve?
Resources:
An, Helene, and Jacqueline An. Ăn: to Eat: Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen. Running Press, 2016.
Brandon, your chè chuối looks so yummy! Vietnamese desserts are to die for, and my grandma also made the best desserts at family parties. My favorite is bánh chuối hấp! I love eating it with coconut cream too.
ReplyDeleteWhen I cook following new recipes, I make sure to measure out the ingredients exactly as the instructions list out. As I become more experienced in making the dish/dessert, I change the ingredients to cater to my own taste buds. For example, if the food doesn't seem sweet enough, I'll add as more sugar as needed. A suggestion I have to make your chè chuối have a thicker consistency is to add either corn starch or tapioca starch to the water. Good job on your dessert and a wonderfully written post!
Thank you so much, Kristy! Your feedback is much appreciated, and I will consider adding starch to the mixture for a thicker consistency. My grandma was always the star of the show at parties. She received a lot of compliments for her dishes; I wish that someday, my cooking can truly match hers. I know that the more I familiarize myself within the kitchen, the better I will become. People are right to say, "Practice makes perfect."
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