• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Umami Days

Umami Days

Meaty with a dash of veggies

  • Recipes
    • By meal
      • Breakfast
      • Lunch / dinner
      • Snacks
    • By main ingredient
      • Poultry
      • Meat
      • Seafood
      • Eggs
      • Mushrooms
      • Tofu
      • Vegetables
    • By carb
      • Rice
      • Noodles
      • Bread
  • Kitchen
    • Kitchen how-tos
    • Cooking ingredients
    • Kitchen tools
  • Food Tales
    • Edible Garden
    • Dining
  • Newsletter
  • Recipes
    • By meal
      • Breakfast
      • Lunch / dinner
      • Snacks
    • By main ingredient
      • Poultry
      • Meat
      • Seafood
      • Eggs
      • Mushrooms
      • Tofu
      • Vegetables
    • By carb
      • Rice
      • Noodles
      • Bread
  • Kitchen
    • Kitchen how-tos
    • Cooking ingredients
    • Kitchen tools
  • Food Tales
    • Edible Garden
    • Dining
  • Newsletter

Che bap (Vietnamese sweet corn, tapioca and coconut milk)

05.03.2022 (Updated: 05.03.2022)

Che bap is often labeled a dessert pudding in the Western world, but it isn’t exactly that. In the first place, dessert is a Western concept; so is pudding.

Che bap topped with coconut sauce and toasted sesame seeds

Che is a generic term for a wide array of Vietnamese sweets which can range from soupy to almost dry. Che can have beans, peas, fruits, jelly, root crops or glutinous rice. Che bap has corn and tapioca pearls or, occasionally, rice. Unlike Western pudding, che bap isn’t firm but, rather, has a consistency that’s similar to thick porridge.

How is che bap eaten? Here’s one thing I learned in Vietnam. If you order che bap in a restaurant that caters mostly to Western tourists, it will likely be listed as a dessert. But out on the streets where it is sold as street food, che bap is a sweet snack.

Ingredients for che bap: corn, pandan leaf and tapioca pearls

To make che bap, you’ll need sweet corn, pandan leaf, tapioca, sugar, salt, coconut milk and coconut cream. There are recipes that use tapioca powder dispersed in water to thicken che bap. While that will yield a thick che bap, I prefer the contrast in texture between the corn kernels and tapioca pearls. I used quick-cooking tapioca pearls.

Flavoring water by boiling pandan leaf and corn cobs

To make a flavorful and aromatic cooking liquid, the corn cobs and pandan leaf are boiled in water for about ten minutes. The corn cobs and pandan leaf are then removed and discarded.

Adding tapioca pearls and coconut milk to corn in pan

The corn kernels, sugar and salt are poured into the flavored water and cooked until the corn kernels are soft but not too mushy. The tapioca pearls go in next together with the coconut milk. The cooking continues until the mixture is has thickened.

Che bap after it has thickened

By the end of cooking time, the mixture should be thick but should still fall back into the pot when scooped with a ladle. The tapioca pearls should also be discernible as tiny translucent globes. If you find it too goopy, add more coconut milk and cook until simmering. Note that che bap will thicken some more as it cools. So, if you intend to serve it chilled, you might want the mixture to be a bit soupy when you turn off the heat.

Vietnamese che bap
Che bap (Vietnamese sweet corn, tapioca and coconut)
Connie Veneracion
Che bap can be served chilled, warm or at room temperature (personally, I like it warm). Serve in small bowls drizzled with coconut cream and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Vietnamese
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ears sweet corn
  • 1 pandan leaf
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup quick-cooking tapioca pearls
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • ½ cup coconut cream
  • toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, shave the corn kernels and set aside.
  • Pour six cups of water into a pot, add the corn cobs and pandan leaf, and boil for ten minutes.
  • Remove the corn cobs and pandan leaf, and discard.
  • Add the corn kernels to the boiling water.
  • Add the sugar and salt, and stir.
  • Boil for five to ten minutes then stir in the tapioca pearls and coconut milk.
  • Cook, stirring often, until thickened.
  • Taste and add more sugar or salt, or both, as needed.
  • Ladle the che bap into bowls, drizzle coconut cream on top and sprinkle in toasted sesame seeds.
Pin Send Print

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, the blog owner earns commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

In the spotlight

Japanese beef rice bowl (gyudon)

Japanese beef rice bowl (gyudon)

Air fried lemongrass pork belly with dipping sauce

Air fried lemongrass pork belly

Coconut tree

A guide to coconuts for eating, drinking and cooking

Inside a Chicken, gravy and mashed potato casserole

Chicken, gravy and mashed potato casserole

Shrimp spring rolls

Hungry for more?

Subscribe to the newsletter to get the latest posts in your inbox.

No spam. Read the privacy policy.

More Sweets

Banana and cheese spring rolls (turon)

Banana and cheese spring rolls (turon)

Coconut lychee sorbet garnished with a sprig of mint

Coconut lychee sorbet

Microwave Chocolate Mug Cakes

Microwave chocolate mug cake

Choco Peanut Confetti Squares

Choco peanut confetti squares

Sidebar

Connie Veneracion, 2020

Hi, I’m Connie!

Home cook and writer by passion, photographer by necessity, and good food, coffee and wine lover forever. I write recipes, cooking tips and food stories. No AI is used in creating content for this blog.

More about me and Umami Days.

  • About
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • No AI
  • Contact

Created by a human for humans · Copyright © 2025 Connie Veneracion · All Rights Reserved