Sunday, June 21, 2009

Che Banh Lot (Cendol)

I tried to make this dessert many times before and I failed miserably. Either it was too hard or too soft that it breaks easily. I tried different recipes and ingredients but none works. But after failing so many times I have learned which recipe works and the easy method of making it. I like the texture to be silky soft and smooth. Eat this with syrup and coconut milk. Super good!!!



sorry for the mess. was in a hurry.:)







Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
2 tbsp mung bean starch (can use tapioca starch)
3 3/4 cup red limestone water or white limestone water
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 tsp pandan paste
3-4 drops green color

1 can coconut milk + 2 tbsp sugar +1/4 c water + 1 tbsp cornstarch + dash salt
250 gram palm sugar + 1 slap brown candy sugar + 4 cup water

1 potato ricer (or anything with holes)
a big bowl of ice water

Method:

Red limestone water- 2 tbsp red limestone mix with 8 cups water. Stir well and let lime crystals sink to the bottom at least over 1 hr. Just use the clear water. Better to strain over paper towel. (Note: Add more water to the lime crystals after each use and you can use it again and again.)

1. Mix rice flour, mung bean starch, 3 3/4 cup red limestone water, salt, pandan paste, and green color together. Mix well.

2. Microwave the mixture 1 minute at a time until the mixture is slightly thicken like the picture above. Each time take the mixture out and stir well with chopsticks. I microwave it about 6 times. Cook another half minute if not cook. Do not let it too dry or too watery. Too dry of the mixture will make the cendol soft.

3. Have a large bowl of ice and add in some cold water. Now quickly pour the rice mixture in the ricer and press lightly to desire length. The cendol should fall freely in the water when you press it. Continue until all mixture is gone. Add more ice if water is warm. The cold water is very important for the hot mixture to harden. Drain the cendol out of the ice water and serve with syrup, ice, and coconut milk. (Note: must work quick before the mixture gets harden. Once harden it, your cendol will not come out smooth.)

4. Cook the coconut milk mixture until slightly thicken.

5. Boil the palm sugar, rock sugar, and 4 cups water until slightly thicken.

6. Put some cendol in a cup. Add in 2-3 tbsp syrup, ice, and coconut milk. Serve cold.


Note: You can serve this with red bean, mung bean paste , grass jelly, or any other dessert.

37 comments:

My Taste Heaven said...

It looks great! Congratulations! This time you have managed to make it!

Kristy said...

Thank you. I just made this dessert again. This time I cooked mung bean paste to go with it. Just so easy and so good. I think I made this dessert in 10 minutes! Mmmmm..mmm

Timothy Low said...

Wow, this is the 1st time I actually come across the recipe to make these. I mean, I see them around all the time and never really thought about how it was done ....

xoladiihoneyxo said...

yummyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Chris said...

Not sure if I can get the red limestone here in Toronto. I've seen this recipe with lye water which is available here. Do u think it would be a substitute?

Kristy said...

I think you can use the lye water. I did make them with lye water before but because I used too much tapioca starch it was harder than expected. If you read Lily's blog, she made it with something similar. I think you only use a very little amount of the lye water...maybe 1/2 tsp or less. Let me know how it turn out.:)

Unknown said...

ch3rri

i managed to get some white lime paste, is it the same as the pink ones.?

Kristy said...

I have not try that yet. I did the research and it was also used for crisp vegetable and batter. And Thai use it for dessert. I believe it is the same. This thing should only cost $0.99 and I reused it many times.:)

Anonymous said...

Kristy - I tried to make it yesterday and it's soooo good. The only thing was that my ricer is a bit small; and so cendol was really small (at least compares to what I used to eat back in VN). Thanks for the recipe

Let's make it during our next get together.

~t~

Kristy said...

Hi T,

Glad that it works out for you. I think I will make this again today. It's just so good. :) You can get the potato ricer online or at kitchen appliances store such as Macy's or Walmart. I remember I ordered mine for $12.00 online. I also got one from Macy's...but not as great as the one online. Plus, you can use the potato ricer to make banh canh later.:)

Anonymous said...

I got mine from Bed Bath and Beyond, the holes are a bit small. I'll look for the ones from Walmart and Macys.

Hmm...forgot about banh' canh...i'll try that next time.

Have you had banh lot & soft tofu in the past?

Kristy said...

I thought the potato ricer come with two plates with one small and one large. This is the one I ordered and it's great since you can secure the plate in.

http://leslies-kitchen.com/RSVP-International-SPUD-Potato-Ricer-13.5in./M/B000OLA7KS.htm?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle

Mmmm...I have not try it with soft tofu before. I'm sure it tastes great. Eating some now...lol

Anonymous said...

This is the one i got.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&mc=1&wrn=-1556067368&SKU=11448763

~t~

Unknown said...

Hi Ch3rri,

I want to know what is the reason to use lime water? Is it dangerous and if not, where can I find it?

Issy

Unknown said...

Hi Ch3rri,

I want to know what is the reason to use lime water? Is it dangerous and if not, where can I find it?

Issy

Kristy said...

The red lime paste water help crisp it up a bit. Plus it tastes better with it. I think it's safe to eat....I ate the cendol 5 days in a roll. My family do like it better with the red lime paste water. Remember just use the clear water part.

You can find the paste at almost any asian supermarket. It should cost $0.99 and you can reuse it many many times.

The pototo rice I bought have two face plate with one large hole and the one small. The large one is perfect for the cendol. I don't think they have larger one than that. You can also try Macy's. I got one from them too from Martha Stewart. But I like the one I ordered more because the you can secure the plate .

Anonymous said...

Hi Ch3rri,

do I have to use normal rice flour or sticky rice flour?

I tried the recipe and the cendol was too soft. I used normal rice flour but didn't put mung bean starch because I couldn't get it here in my town. Maybe that was my mistake?

Thanks,
Bao

Kristy said...

Hi. I'm not sure if that's the problem since I always use the mung bean starch. The other thing is the water have to be ice cold or it will not give it the crisp. Remember to cook it but not too thick. When it's too thick the result will come out softer.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ch3rri,
I tried this recipe like 5 times but still could not get it to work. It's too soft and breaks when it hits the cold ice water. Although it looks like the picture you posted when tasting I can still taste the smell of the flour. Seems like it's uncooked or something. I tried another time microwaving it 6 times and a little more seems like it gets a little better. but i remember you saying dont let it too dry. I would grately appreciate any inputs and help. I love this dessert but just seems easy but so hard to get it right.
thanks............

Kristy said...

I think the reason why your's soft is because the flour is not cooked. Because each person microwave is different therefore you might need to microwave more. The other reason is the limetone water. If your limestone water does not have enough limestone then then it will not give the crisp texture. So what you need to do is add more limestone to the water and wait until the stone sit on the bottom. Now use the top layer of the water. To prevent it from being too thick, I added more water to the recipe. This way you can microwave it for 6 or 7 minutes. When the flour is cooked it will be shiny.

Another way to cook this is to heat it in a pot. Stir it constantly until it's silky thicken. You can test bye dripping a couple in the ice water and if it's too soft then cook some more. I've made this many times and it's great. Give it another try with more water and cook it a little longer.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm planning to make this tmw but was wondering if anyone has ever made it without the lime water?

Kristy said...

You need the lime water or the cendol will be so soft that it doesn't taste good.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ch3rri, is this recipe for 1 serving? And when the batter is cooked does it look like a shiny dark green color?

Kristy said...

This is for 3-4 serving. Yes, when the batter is cooked then it will be shiny and darker. You can always test it by dropping some in the ice cold water and if it's soft chewy then it's cook. If it's not cook then the banh lot will break easily.

terri said...

i made this banh lot acouple of days ago. It tastes good..it's not to hard or to soft...but it's not chewy. I did everything the recipe said to do...where did i go wrong?

Kristy said...

HI Terri. If you want it to be super chewy then you'll have to use more tapioca starch and less rice flour.

cambo girl said...

hi sorry if this sounds stupid but what does "a slap of brown candy sugar mean"? Like a stick of brown candy sugar? And everytime i make it it becomes soft/mush. I cooked the batter til it became dark green and glossy looking. Is it because it's not cooked long enough before I drop it in the ice water?

Anonymous said...

I have a tried of many options and I don't get the taste that I am expecting. I added more tapioca it get soggy, I added more rice flour it doesn't get chewy, I use the "alkaline water" (I don't have the red lime paste, I search on the net is says its the same) it get bitter.
Can you tell me what could have go wrong ?

Kristy said...

Hi. You'll have to use the limestone to make the limestone water. It's the water that makes it tastes like banh lot. If you can't find the red, then use the white. Do you have any Asian supermarkets near your area? They have it locate in the can fruit section or flour section. They're only $0.99. After finding the limestone then mix with water and let the stone settle to the bottom. We just want the clean water on top. Now if you want it really chewy, then add a little more tapioca starch. Less starch will make it softer. Also have to cook it thoroughly or it will break easily and not chewy.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kristy,
Does the amount of water matter?

Kristy said...

For a box of limestone, I used 1-2 gallon of water. After I used up the water, I add more water to the limestone and stir again. I use the limestone a couple times until the flavor is gone.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kristy,
I give you recipe a try but I don't get the texture that I am looking for. The texture I would like to achieve is a bit chewy. I added more tapioca flour but the thing still comes out a bit soggy. I have tried a few options, but without success.
I cook the mixture using stove, and the tapioca flour cooked and turn into sticky and transparent before the rice flour. Hence, the dough become sticky and soggy. Do you know what I did wrong?
Tan

Kristy said...

If you use the stove, you'll need less water. Make sure you stir the mixture well before cooking. Alo, the limestone water is very important...mix it well for better flavor. Use about 3 1/2 cup water if using the stove.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
I am not sure this conversion is correct?
150 gram rice flour
236 ml red limestone water
If I would like to try on 50 gram rice flour what is the amount of red limestone flour in ml?
I have tried many options but without success.
Tan

Kristy said...

Hi. I don't know if your conversion is correct or not. I'll have to try them in gram later on. I'm not sure about the 50 grm either. if it's 50 grm flour then you'll need to divide the water in 3, so it'll be 236/3= 79ml limestone water. remember to add 1 tbsp starch.

Unknown said...

OMG, where did you get that cendol presser? I need it!

Emily Le said...

Wow, can't believe this post is 10 years old! I love your blog content and love how helpful you are in the comments. I just made this banh lot recipe today with my son and it is perfect! My husband came home from work and enjoyed a huge serving. My kid lives it and so do i. Than you