Che Ba Mau - Three Color Dessert Drink - is the most festive and visually dramatic of all Vietnamese sweet soups. Three distinct layers are carefully constructed in a tall glass: a bottom layer of green pandan-flavored mung bean paste, a middle layer of translucent red bean jelly, and a top layer of split mung beans, all crowned with a generous pour of sweet coconut cream. When presented with shaved ice, the colors remain distinct, mingling only when the diner stirs them together into a complex, subtly sweet, tropical dessert.
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Prepare each component separately. For the mung bean layer: soaked split mung beans with water and sugar until completely soft and mashable. Cool and refrigerate.
For the pandan jelly: blend fresh pandan leaves with water and strain through muslin to extract vivid green pandan juice. Mix agar-agar powder with water and pandan juice, bring to a until dissolved, add sugar, pour into a tray, and allow to set at room temperature. Cut into small cubes or strips.
For the red bean layer: adzuki beans with sugar until very tender and sweet. The syrup should be thick. Cool.
Make the coconut cream topping: heat coconut cream with pandan leaves, a pinch of salt, and a little sugar until fragrant and . Strain to remove pandan. Keep warm.
When ready to assemble, fill tall glasses or bowls with shaved ice. Layer from bottom to top: cooked sweet mung beans, then red bean in syrup, then pandan jelly cubes.
Pour warm coconut cream over the top just before serving. The contrast of cold ice and warm coconut cream is intentional. The colors will remain distinct until stirred - present to the diner unmixed so they can appreciate the visual layering before combining.
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