Chè Bưởi - Pomelo Pith Dessert

A sweet soup where pomelo pith becomes translucent and crunchy, paired with soft mung beans. Thick coconut cream coats the top for a striking contrast of textures.

• Prep time: 60 min
• Cook time: 40 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 616
• Protein: 11 g
• Carbs: 113 g
• Fat: 12 g

Ingredients

• 1 piece Citrus grandis (L.) Osb. or Citrus maxima ( white pith only, diced )
• 150 g mung beans ( peeled, soaked and steamed )
• 200 g Tapioca or Japanese pearls ( powder for coating and thickening )
• 150 g palm sugar ( crushed )
• 250 ml Coconut milk ( for the sauce )
• 2 piece pandan leaves ( knotted )
• 1 tbsp Corn starch ( to thicken the coconut sauce )
• 1 pinch Gray sea salt ( for the coconut sauce )
• 1 tsp Alum powder ( diluted in soaking water )

Instructions

1. Mung bean preparation

   Rinse the mung beans until the water is clear. Steam them for 15 to 20 minutes. They should be tender and mash easily under finger pressure, but remain whole.

2. Pomelo peel treatment

   Collect only the thick white part of the pomelo peel. Cut it into 1 cm cubes. Massage the cubes with grey sea salt and rinse thoroughly with cold water at least 10 times, squeezing hard. Soak the cubes in water with the alum powder for 30 minutes to firm them up, then rinse thoroughly. The bitterness must have completely disappeared.

3. Coating and cooking the pomelo

   Mix the damp pomelo cubes with tapioca to coat them in a thick layer. Plunge into boiling water. When the cubes rise to the surface and become translucent like pearls, immediately plunge them into an ice-water bath to set the crunch.

4. Thickening the chè

   Boil 1L of water with palm sugar and pandan leaves. Remove the leaves. Pour in a mixture of tapioca and water, stirring constantly until the texture is thick and coats the spoon. Add the beans and pomelo cubes.

5. Coconut milk topping

   Heat the coconut milk with a pinch of salt and diluted cornstarch. Stir until the mixture thickens. Pour this white, creamy topping over the warm or cold chè before serving.

Chef's tips

• The pith rinsing step is crucial: if you don't squeeze hard enough, the dessert will be bitter.
• Don't overcook the mung beans; they should keep their shape for visual contrast.
• The coconut sauce must be very thick; it shouldn't mix immediately with the sweet broth.

Storage

Keeps for 2 days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze, as the tapioca will lose its texture.