Banana Coconut Dessert
A Vietnamese sweet soup of whole cooked bananas, two types of tapioca, and a coconut-pandan broth, finished with crushed roasted peanuts.
Banana Coconut Dessert
A classic Vietnamese sweet soup of Thai bananas simmered in a pandan-scented coconut broth, thickened with two types of tapioca. A great dessert for a cold winter's night.
Equipment
- 1 wide saucepan
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 slotted spoon
Ingredients
Banana
- 1 kg Thai bananas
- 10 g salt
- 1 L water
- 50 g caster sugar
Tapioca
- 50 g small tapioca pearls
- 60 g tapioca shreds
- 1 L water cold, for initial soak
- 1 L water boiling, freshly boiled, for second soak
Coconut Base
- 600 ml water
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 bunch pandan leaves washed and tied into a knot
- 10 g caster sugar
- 2 g salt
To Serve
- 100 g peanuts
Instructions
Prepare the Bananas
- Peel the bananas and keep them whole.
- Dissolve 10g salt in 1L cold water, add the peeled bananas, and soak for 5 minutes.
- Drain the bananas and pat dry.
- Place the bananas in a bowl with 50g caster sugar and toss gently to coat.
- Rest for 30 minutes, turning once or twice, until the bananas release a little syrup.
Prepare the Tapioca
- Place the small tapioca pearls in a saucepan of boiling water and gently simmer until clear.
- Rinse the tapioca pearls with cold water to remove any excess starch.
- Place the tapioca shreds in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 15 minutes.
- Drain the tapioca shreds before adding to the coconut base.
Cook the Banana Coconut Base
- Add the sugared bananas and any syrup from the bowl to a wide saucepan and cook over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, gently turning, until they release liquid.
- Continue cooking gently until the released liquid reduces slightly – the bananas should stay whole.
- Add 600ml water and 200ml of the coconut milk, then add the tied pandan leaves.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and skim any foam from the surface.
- Add 2g salt, then taste and add the optional 10g caster sugar if you want it slightly sweeter.
- Simmer gently until the bananas are tender but still whole and holding their shape.
- Remove the pandan leaves.
If the bananas become tender before the tapioca is ready, lift them out gently and set aside – return them at the end.
Finish with Tapioca and Coconut Milk
- Add the drained tapioca pearls and tapioca shreds to the coconut base.
- Simmer gently for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the tapioca pearls are mostly translucent and the shreds are soft.
- Add the remaining 200ml coconut milk and return the bananas to the pot if you removed them earlier.
- Stir gently and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes only.
- Turn off the heat and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Note: Do not boil hard — coconut milk can split and turn oily.
Assembly
- Place one whole cooked banana into each small serving bowl and cut into pieces, or slice before adding for a cleaner presentation.
- Ladle the warm coconut tapioca base over the banana.
- Top with roasted crushed peanuts and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Notes
Substitutes:
- Pandan leaves: frozen works fine. If unavailable, omit entirely — coconut, banana and peanut still carry the dessert. If using pandan extract or paste, start with ¼ tsp only; it intensifies quickly.
- Bananas: sugar bananas or Thai bananas are preferred. Cavendish works — choose yellow with a few spots, not soft.
- Tapioca shreds: if unavailable, use 80g small tapioca pearls total. Do not substitute noodles.
- Sago pearls: can replace small tapioca pearls at the same weight; cook until mostly translucent.
