Doris Hô-Kane, who runs Ban Bè, a Vietnamese-American bakery in Brooklyn, is particularly fond of chè khúc bach, or "white chunk dessert soup." ("It doesn't sound as beautiful in [English] as it does in Vietnamese," says Hô-Kane about this iconic sweet.
Ingreadient
- 5.50 cups cold water
- 1 (25-gram) envelope agar-agar powder (such as Telephone Brand)
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- ¼ teaspoon butterfly pea flower powder (such as Ancient Choice)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1.50 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 2.50 teaspoons beet juice
- 1 ¼ cups coconut cream
- ¼ cup sweetened condensed coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons basil seeds (hot é) (such as Eden's Larder)
- 6 cups shaved ice
- 1 (20-ounce) can peeled and pitted longans in syrup, drained, syrup reserved
- 1 (20-ounce) can peeled and pitted lychees in syrup, drained, syrup reserved
- .50 cup sliced almonds (about 1 1/2 ounces), toasted
Direction
- Stir together 51/2 cups cold water and agar-agar in a saucepan. Let stand 20 minutes to bloom and soften. Meanwhile, whisk together 1 tablespoon hot water and butterfly pea flower powder in a small bowl until dissolved; set aside.
- Cook agar-agar mixture over medium, stirring constantly, until agar-agar dissolves and mixture comes to a low boil, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in sugar and extracts; cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk; cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and well incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Working quickly, divide the agar-agar mixture evenly among 3 medium bowls (about 2 1/3 cups each). Carefully pour butterfly pea flower powder mixture into 1 bowl of agar-agar mixture, discarding any bits of undissolved powder. Add instant coffee to second bowl of agar-agar mixture; add beet juice to remaining bowl of agar-agar mixture. Stir well until each color is uniform. Pour each color into a separate 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan; use a spoon to skim off any bubbles from surface. Let stand, uncovered and undisturbed, until cooled to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cover and chill until firm, 5 to 12 hours.
- Run a knife along edges of 1 panna cotta in loaf pan. Flip pan over, and gently tap bottom to release. If desired, trim edges of panna cotta using a wavy blade knife. Cut into 1-inch cubes for a total of 32 cubes. Repeat with remaining panna cotta. Set aside.
- Stir together coconut cream, condensed coconut milk, and salt in a small saucepan; bring to a low boil over medium, stirring often to prevent bottom from burning. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
- Stir together 3/4 cup warm water and basil seeds in a small bowl. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until seeds have absorbed water, at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- To assemble, fill each of 8 serving bowls with 3/4 cup shaved ice, 2 to 3 longans, and 3 to 4 lychees. Spoon 3 tablespoons combined syrups from canned fruits over each bowl. Top each bowl with about 1 1/2 tablespoons basil seeds, 3 or 4 cubes of each panna cotta color, and 1 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds. Drizzle each bowl with 1 tablespoon coconut cream topping. Add additional canned fruit syrup and coconut cream topping to taste. Serve immediately.
