Chè Thái

glass full of che Thai beside glass bowl full

5 from 43 votes

This Chè Thái recipe is a tropical Vietnamese dessert that's light, refreshing, sweet, and bursting with flavorful fruits and jellies! It's easy to make and great for parties!

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

chill time3

Total Time3 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese

Servings: servings

Calories: 611kcal

Author: Nena Sterner

Ingredients

4 oz water chestnuts (canned)
4-5 drops red food coloring
⅛ cup tapioca starch
6 oz jackfruit (canned)
8 oz pandan jelly (canned)
3 oz mangosteen (fresh)
6 oz toddy palm seed (canned)
8 oz coconut jelly (bottled)
6 oz longan (canned or fresh)
6 oz rambutan (canned or fresh)
13½ oz coconut milk (canned)
7½ oz cream of coconut (canned)

Instructions

Cut water chestnuts into quarters, regardless of whether they are whole or pre-sliced. Add 4-5 drops of red food coloring and stir to combine. Mix in tapioca starch, coating evenly.
Use a strainer or collander to remove extra starch before adding the "red rubies" to 2 inches of boiling water. Stir to prevent rubies from sticking together, then boil over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until they float. Remove rubies and add to an ice bath for 10 minutes.
Drain jackfruit and cut into thin slices, then cube pandan jelly. If using mangosteens, use a serrated knife to cut through the rind, then harvest the white fruit. I recommend leaving the largest pieces out of the mixture as they often have pits.
Drain toddy palm seeds, coconut jellies, longan, and rambutans (if using canned). Add them to a large bowl along with jackfruit, pandan jelly, mangosteens, and the red rubies once they have cooled.
Pour coconut milk and cream of coconut into the same bowl, then mix thoroughly until combined. Adjust sweetness to taste, if necessary. Cover bowl and chill in the fridge 2-3 hours before serving.

Notes

You want the red rubies to be gelatinous on the outside, and crisp on the inside. They should somewhat resemble pomegranate seeds.
I recommend reserving the syrup from one of the canned fruits, that way you can use it as extra sweetener for the Che Thai if you want it sweeter.
To make this dessert even more refreshing, serve it over ice!
You can store Che Thai in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Be aware that the longer you store the Che Thai, the more the red food coloring will begin to turn the milk pink.
If you have other tropical fruits you want to add to your mixture, feel free to experiment!

Nutrition