Cendol (Che Banh Lot)

Pouring sweetened coconut milk into a glass of cendol.

Chewy, bouncy pandan-flavored cendol or che banh lot served with palm sugar syrup and sweetened coconut milk is the best dessert to quench your thirst. This popular Southeast Asian dessert is well known for a reason—it's delicious!

Course Dessert, Drinks

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword cendol, cendol jelly, cendol recipe, che banh lot, che banh lot recipe, pandan jelly

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 391kcal

Author Megan

Equipment

Ingredients

Pandan Jelly (Cendol)

¾ cup (125 g) mung bean starch
2 tablespoons (20 g) tapioca starch
2 tablespoons (15 g) rice flour
4 ½ cup (1064 ml) water
¾ teaspoon pandan extract

Coconut Milk

1 tablespoon (10 g) tapioca starch
2 tablespoon (30 g) water
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
¾ cup (200 ml) water
½ (2 g) teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon (25 g) granulated sugar

Palm Sugar Simple Syrup

4 (8 oz) large palm sugar
1 cup (220 ml) water

Instructions

Pandan Jelly (Cendol)

Mix the batter. In a mixing medium saucepan, mix together the mung bean starch, tapioca starch, rice flour and water until combined. Then add in 1 teaspoon of pandan extract and stir until combined.
Cook until thickened. Cook on medium high heat and gently stir continuously until it reaches a boil and some pieces begin to cook underneath and small dark translucent pieces come to the top, about 2-3 minutes. Then turn the heat to low and keep stirring until it is thick, slightly translucent and begins to bubble, about 3 minutes .
Mold worms. Working quickly, use the largest setting on your mashed potato ricer, pour a few scoops into the ricer and gently squeeze the green worms over a bowl of ice water.
Separate and steep. Run your fingers through the worms to gently separate them and let them steep and firm up for about 10 minutes. Drain and aside in a medium bowl.

Coconut Milk

Make tapioca slurry. In a small bowl, mix together the tapioca starch and 2 tablespoons of water until combined.
Cook the coconut milk. In a medium saucepan, add the tapioca slurry, coconut milk, water, salt and sugar and mix to combine. Heat on medium high heat and stir until thickened. Then, set aside to cool.

Palm Sugar Simple Syrup

Make the palm sugar simple syrup. In a small saucepan, heat the palm sugar and 1 cup of water until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Assembly

Assemble. In a tall glass, add a 1/2 cup of the cendol, 2-3 tablespoons of palm sugar simple syrup to taste, 1/2 cup of the coconut milk and crushed or shaved ice. Mix and enjoy!

Notes

Use a kitchen scale. You will need precise measurements of each flour for the optimal chew and texture. Measuring cups and spoons are all manufactured differently and can lead to varying results. The best way to achieve this is to use a kitchen scale.
Be patient when stirring. You will need to constantly stir the batter because it heats up rather quickly. Scrape the bottom of the pan so the bottom layer does not get burned.
Have the water bath ready once you remove the pan from the stove. You will need to work quickly once you remove the pan from the stove so have the cold ice water bath ready. If the batter gets cold, it will clump up quickly and not flow as easily and you will get large lumps instead of worms.
Use the largest mold in the potato ricer. This will allow the cooked batter to easily flow through and create the perfect worm-shaped pandan jelly.

Nutrition