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–+ servings

Chè Thái (Vietnamese Coconut Fruit Dessert)

Chè thái is a Vietnamese coconut milk dessert loaded with chewy red rubies made from tapioca-coated water chestnuts, aiyu jelly, coconut jelly, jackfruit, longan, and lychee in a sweetened coconut milk broth served over ice. A refreshing, textural, and visually stunning dessert drink that's a staple at Vietnamese dessert shops.
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Course: Dessert, Drink, Snack
Cuisine: Southeast Asian, Vietnamese
Keyword: Asian dessert drink, che recipe, che thai, che thai recipe, coconut jelly dessert, coconut milk dessert, red rubies recipe, tropical fruit dessert, Vietnamese dessert, Vietnamese fruit dessert, Vietnamese sweet soup, water chestnut red rubies
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

Red Rubies

  • 1 can water chestnuts drained and diced small
  • red food coloring
  • tapioca starch for coating

Fruit and Jellies

  • 1 can green aiyu jelly
  • 1 package coconut jelly drained
  • 1 can jackfruitt drained and cut into thin slices
  • 1 can longan drained, syrup reserved
  • 1 can lychee drained, syrup reserved
  • 1 can palm seeds thinly sliced

Coconut Broth

  • 1 can coconut milk
  • reserved longan and lychee syrup to taste

To Serve

  • ice

Instructions

MAKE THE RED RUBIES

  • Color the water chestnuts: Drain and dice the water chestnuts into small even pieces. Place in a bowl and add red food coloring and toss to coat. Add more until the pieces are evenly red.
  • Coat in tapioca starch: Add tapioca starch to the bowl and toss until every piece is generously and evenly coated in a white layer of starch and there are no wet spots left.
  • Boil: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the coated water chestnut pieces and boil until the tapioca coating turns translucent and the rubies float to the top, about 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately transfer to a bowl of cold ice water to stop the cooking and keep them from sticking together. Drain and set aside.

PREPARE THE FRUIT AND JELLIES

  • Cut the jelly: Cut the aiyu jelly into small even cubes. Drain the coconut jelly and cut into similar sized pieces if needed.
  • Prep the fruit: Drain the jackfruit and cut into thin slices. Drain the longan and lychee, reserving the syrup from both cans.
  • Add to bowl: Add all your jelly, fruit, and red rubies into a big bowl.

ASSEMBLE

  • Mix: To bowl of jelly and fruit, add coconut milk along with some of the reserved longan and lychee syrup. Mix together well. Start with a small amount of syrup and add more to taste.
  • Serve: Refrigerate or eat right away with extra ice. Mix everything together as you eat so every spoonful gets a little of everything.