Taro sweet soup is one of many popular kinds of sweet soup in Southeast Asian. Generally, in one serving of sweet soup, you might find beans, fruit, vegetables, glutinous rice, and tapioca pearls, along with chunks of flan and assorted jellies. You cannot forget the addition of coconut milk, the glue that brings together all these unrelated bits and bobs and makes sweet soup what it is. The coconut milk is either poured into a bowl, like milk in a cereal bowl, or is layered between the ingredients in a tall glass like a parfait, making it the most eye-catching of all Vietnamese desserts.
Some sweet soup desserts served warm but for the most part, are served cold with a scoop of shaved ice, making it a popular goodie during Saigon’s dry hot season between the months from January to April. It’s a treat that might be bizarre at first for a non-Vietnamese person but there’s no doubt that it will leave you wanting more.
This recipe is the traditional Vietnamese way of making taro sweet soup, which does not contain sago (tapioca pearls) as we want to retain the typical flavor and texture of taro in the soup.
Recipe:
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 35 mins| Total Time: 50 mins | Servings: 8
- 150g sweet rice/ sticky rice
- 200 ml warm water / purple water cooked with magenta leaves (lá cẩm) (*)
- 400g taro, cubed
- 100g white sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 600 ml water
- 300 ml coconut milk
Directions:
1. Rinse the sticky rice then soak it in 200ml of warm water or purple water (from the magenta leaves) for at least 2 hours. Drain the rice. After 2 hours, your sticky rice should turn a bright purple colour like so.
2. Cook the rice with 300ml water and 150 ml of coconut milk on low heat (4/10) for 20 mins with the lid on.
3. In another pan, cook the taro with 300 ml water at medium heat. Add 50g sugar and cook with the lid on for 8-10 minutes until the taro is soft but not overcooked.
4. Transfer the cooked taro in a bowl, put aside. Pour the remaining water in the rice mixture, add in 50g sugar, salt and 150ml coconut milk then cook in 5 minutes.
5. Add cooked taro in, stir the mixture gently and cook for 10 more minutes until the grains are completely fluffy. You may add some water if the mixture is too thick.
(*) How to cook the magenta leaves:
Boil 250 ml water then put 25g magenta leaves in to cook at low heat in 30 minutes. Leave the liquid to cool and strain the leaves with a sieve. You can cook this in a big amount and save it in the freezer for later use.
Note: Prep time does not include rice soaking time.
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Recipe in English can be printed/downloaded below
Ingredients
- 150 gr sweet rice/ sticky rice
- 200 ml warm water / purple water cooked with magenta leaves (lá cẩm) (*)
- 400 gr taro, cubed
- 100 gr white sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 600 ml water
- 300 ml coconut milk
Instructions
- Rinse the sticky rice then soak it in 200ml of warm water or purple water (from the magenta leaves) for at least 2 hours. Drain the rice. After 2 hours, your sticky rice should turn a bright purple colour like so.
- Cook the rice with 300ml water and 150 ml of coconut milk on low heat for 20 mins with the lid on.
- In another bowl, cook the taro with 300 ml water at medium heat. Add 50g sugar and cook with the lid on for 8- 10 minutes until the taro is soft but not overcooked.
- Transfer the cooked taro in a bowl, put aside. Pour the remaining water in the rice mixture, add in 50g sugar, salt and 150ml coconut milk then cook in 5 minutes.
- Add cooked taro in, stir the mixture gently and cook for 10 more minutes until the grains are completely fluffy. You may add some water if the mixture is too thick.
Notes
How to cook the magenta leaves: Boil 250 ml water then put 25g magenta leaves in to cook at low heat in 30 minutes. Leave the liquid to cool and strain the leaves with a sieve. You can cook this in a big amount and save it in the freezer for later use.
Prep time does not include rice soaking time.
