Ginger Syrup Rice Balls (Chè Trôi Nước)
A warm Vietnamese dessert with soft glutinous rice balls filled with sweet mung bean paste, served in a fragrant ginger syrup.
Equipment
- Small pot
- Medium pot
- Mixing bowl
- Strainer
- Measuring cups & spoons
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Split mung beans
- 1 1/4 cups Water for mung beans
- 1/4 cup Sugar for filling
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt for filling
- 1 tablespoon Neutral oil
- 1 1/4 cups Glutinous rice flour
- 1/2 cup Warm water for dough plus more as needed
- Pinch Salt for dough
- 3 cups Water for syrup
- 3/4 cup Sugar for syrup
- 4 to 6 slices Fresh ginger
- 1 Pandan leaf tied optional
- Pinch Salt for syrup
- Toasted sesame seeds for serving
- Coconut cream optional
Instructions
- Cook mung beans with water until soft then mash with sugar salt and oil into a smooth paste and let cool.
- Roll mung bean paste into small balls and chill to firm.
- Mix glutinous rice flour warm water and salt into a smooth dough and adjust hydration as needed.
- Divide dough into portions flatten each piece and wrap around mung bean balls then roll to seal.
- Boil water and cook rice balls until they float then simmer briefly and transfer to cool water.
- Simmer water sugar ginger pandan leaf and salt to make a fragrant syrup.
- Add cooked rice balls to the syrup and simmer together briefly.
- Serve warm with sesame seeds and coconut cream if desired.
Notes
- Adjust dough hydration with small amounts of water if cracking.
- Simmer syrup longer for stronger ginger flavor.
- Coconut cream can be lightly salted for a traditional finish.
- Rice balls can be frozen after shaping and cooked from frozen.