Che Troi Nuoc (Sticky Rice Dumpling w/ Ginger Syrup)

This is another one of my favorite Vietnamese dessert. My mom told me I love to eat this since I was little. But back then we didn't have money to eat this everyday in Vietnam. Well, now I can...lol. This dessert is similar to the Chinese Tang Yuan except the Vietnamese one is made with mung bean filling and eat with coconut milk and sesame seeds.



Ingredients:

1 bag of glutinous rice flour
500 gram hulled mung bean
water

Ginger Syrup:

2 1/2 slap of brown sugar candy
3-4 slice of ginger (less if you don't like ginger)
4 cup water for syrup
salt
sugar

Coconut Milk:

1 can coconut cream or milk
3 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup water +1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Wash mung bean and cook with water. Water level should be double of mung bean. When the mung bean almost fully cooked, remove some of the water. Leave only enough so it will be dry when mung bean is fully cook. Add in some salt and enough sugar for sweetness. Do not make the mung bean overly sweet as the syrup will be sweet. Leave to cool and form into round balls.

2. Place glutinous rice flour in a large bowl. Take 1/2 cup out and add boiling water. Stir and knead until you form a dough. Now pour cold water in the rest of the flour. Knead into a dough. Now add in the hot dough. Mix the two well. (The purpose of this is so the flour will not crack and easier to manage.) Divide the dough into small balls. Leave some dough to make small dumpling with no filling.

3. Flatten the round ball and add in the mung bean paste. Wrap it and in circular motion make a round ball. Repeat for the rest of dough. For dough with no filling, just take a small piece of dough and make it into small balls. Bowl hot water while making dumplings.

4. In a pot boil hot water to put the dumpling in. When the dumpling float, it means they done.

5. In a pot add in the 4 cups water and sugar slap and ginger. Boil until sugar dissolved. Add in the cooked dumpling. You can scoop the cooked dumpling from the hot water straight to the syup.

6. In a pot cook the coconut milk mixture until thick. Remember to stir continously so the cornstarch don't stick on the bottom.

7. Serve while warm with coconut milk and roasted sesame seeds. (Roast sesame seeds by frying in a pan. Just stir until golden brown)

Note: You can always cut the recipe in half if you don't want to make a whole pot.