Try the yellow stuff, it's delicious!🌽🌽🌽Corn and sugar come together to make sweet corn pudding, che bap. This is a simple and quick recipe to make a beloved summer treat. Just one bite and you'll be corn-vinced!
Hot summer days mean sweet corn is fully stocked and fresh at the supermarket. As a kid, my mom would take me and my four siblings to the grocery store. She was pretty brave! We'd go shopping for all kinds of food but I remember buying so many bags of peaches and corn. She taught us how to pick the corn ears out. First, you look at the exterior color for ears with bright-green, fresh-looking husks, then pull back the husks and examine the kernels. You want to see plump kernels and smell the sweet aroma of corn when you peel back a small section of the husk. The corn hairs might be dark brown to black; just pull them back if you need to get a good look. When corn was on sale, we would buy so much! Bags upon bags! We'd boil them and eat them with butter or plain. It was during that time, that my mom taught me how to whip this up. Those were the good old days. Recently, my sister came by and she was happy to see a little piece of our childhood cooking on the stove. Make this recipe and enjoy a piece of summer. It won't let you down!
What is sweet corn pudding che bap?
Chè bắp, pronounced "cheh bahp," is Vietnamese sweet corn pudding. Chè is a general term for Vietnamese desserts that consist of puddings and sweet soups. The exact origins of che bap are unknown, though it's a very popular dessert widely eaten all over Vietnam and is often sold in Vietnamese dessert shops in the United States. Che bap and Vietnamese desserts are often paired with coconut cream sauce. The sweet corn pudding can be made with mini tapioca pearls or sweet rice can be eaten hot or cold - enjoyed all year long!
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❤️Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe does not require any advanced skills. Cooks of all levels can make che bap!
- This takes less than 30 minutes to make.
- This recipe is easily scalable for large parties or for small groups.
🥄Equipment and tools
- 1 -2 quart Medium-sized saucepan or pot
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Knife, peeler, or mandoline to slice the corn
🛒Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
- water - Water is used to cook the tapioca pearls and corn. If you want a looser pudding, add more water. This recipe is on the thicker side. When cooking you can add pandan leaves to the pot but I don't find it necessary.
- sugar - This recipe uses granulated sugar. Sugar adds the sweetness to the pudding. Brown sugar can be substituted as well. Adjust the measurements to your preferences.
- corn - Corn is the star of this dish. Use fresh corn on the cob. The corn is thinly sliced with a peeler.
- corn starch - Corn starch thickens the pudding. You can use glutinous rice starch in place of corn starch.
- salt - A pinch of salt cuts through the sugar.
- tapioca pearls - This recipe uses mini tapioca pearls. They are different than the boba tapioca pearls. Do not use the bubble tea ones in this recipe. The light texture of the tapioca pearls fills up the che bap nicely. An alternative to tapioca pearls is using sweet rice.
- vanilla - Vanilla gives the che bap a sweet flavor and scent. In place of this, popular options are pandan extra or almond extract.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
↔Substitutions & Variations
- Use sweet rice in place of tapioca pearls.
- Add coconut milk sauce for additional richness and flavoring on top.
- Garnish with chopped-up roasted peanuts or sesame seeds.
👩🏫 How to Make Che Bap
Step 1: If using fresh corn, peel back the green husks to dehusk it and wash it. Now using a mandoline or peeler, grate the corn kernels from bottom to top. Grate it up and down 2-3 times to get all the kernels. Make sure to get as many thinly sliced kernels as possible. Then we will continue around the corn until only the cob is left.
Step 2: Place the cobs in a deep pot and boil the cobs. This will extract the flavor of the corn into the water. Cook the corn cobs for about 10 minutes. Make sure to rotate the corn to get as much corn flavor into the water as possible. For pandan flavor, boil pandan leaves with the corn.
Step 3: When the corn cobs are boiled down after 10 minutes, turn off the heat and take out the corn cobs. Turning off the heat will prevent the water from boiling off and easier for you to grab the corn cobs out.
Step 4: Turn on the stove to medium-high. Add the mini tapioca pearls to the pot and let it cook. As it cooks the pearls will turn a clear white. Use a wooden spoon to stir it and mix it around.
Step 5: As the water starts to bubble, add in the grated corn. Use a wooden spoon to stir the corn in, and mix it in with the tapioca pearls. Keep stirring the pot so that the corn and the mini tapioca pearls don't burn
Step 6: Add sugar, a pinch of salt, and a splash of vanilla and stir.
Step 7: For an extra thick che bap, add water to corn starch to make a slurry then add to the che bap. Continue to mix the pudding with a wooden spoon.
Step 8: Let the pudding cook for an additional 5 minutes. Taste it and add more sugar if you like it sweeter. Mix it in and take off the heat.
Step 9: Enjoy hot or let it cool. Eat it plain or serve it with coconut cream sauce.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh corn ears.
- Only add coconut milk cream sauce to che bap before eating.
- Make and store in the refrigerator
🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
Yes, you can use frozen ones. Wait until it has defrosted before you grate them.
Add more water to the boil and don't add cornstarch.
❄️Storage and reheating instructions
- Refrigerator: Store in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Room Temp: Leave at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
- Reheating instructions: Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Did you try this recipe?
Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @teerangathome on Instagram!
📖Recipe
Easy, Homemade Sweet Corn Pudding (Chè Bắp) Recipe
Equipment
- 1 peeler
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 Sauce pan
Ingredients
- 3-4 ears of corn
- ⅓ cup mini tapioca pearls
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- Dehusk your ears of corn and wash the corn. Then grate the corn kernels with a peeler in thin slices. Do this over the corn 2-3 times to grate all of the kernels out.
- Add corn cobs to sauce pan with 2 cups of water. Cook corn cobs to extract corn flavor into water. If desired you can add pandan leaves to seep their flavor in. Let the corn cobs cook for 10 minutes. Rotate corn cobs to get all the corn flavor into the water.
- When the corn cobs are cooked thoroughly, turn off the heat and remove from the water.
- Turn back on the heat to a medium-high and add in the mini tapioca pearls. Use a wooden spoon and mix it into the water. The pearls will begin to bloom and turn into translucent, clear balls. Keep cooking and stirring the mixture for about 2-4 minutes.
- Add in the grated corn into pot with the mini tapioca pearls. Use the wooden spoon to mix together the corn and the pearls. Let it cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add in sugar, a pinch of salt and vanilla. Stir well with wooden spoon.
- If needed add 1 tablespoon of water to corn starch, mix it together until corn starch turns into a slurry and then add to the che bap. This will thicken the pudding even more.
- Stir and mix it, then taste. If you want it sweeter add more sugar. If you want it thinner add additional water but be sure to adjust the taste when you add more water.
- Enjoy!
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