Authentic Che Thai (Vietnamese Fruit Cocktail)

Che Thai is a refreshing, dairy-free Vietnamese dessert that every Vietnamese kid grew up loving. It is made with Asian jelly, assorted fruits, and a yummy coconut sauce. In this blog post, learn how to make this amazing dessert and how to customize it to your own tastes.

During the summer, I remember my mom always making me Che (pronounced je). It is a Vietnamese drink or soup that is eaten for dessert and can be found in all parts of Vietnam. There are a lot of different kinds of Che with a variety of different ingredients. Some may have bananas like in Che Chuoi and others may have beans like Che Ba Mau. Personally, Che Ba Mau is my favorite Che, and my second favorite is this one Che Thai.

What is Che Thai?

Che Thai is also known as Vietnamese fruit cocktail. It is one of the simpler Che you can make, and there are so many different ways you can customize it to your own tastes. (I go through all the customizations below.) Typically, Che Thai is made with red pearls, green jelly, jackfruit, and other assorted fruits, served with a sweet coconut sauce and ice.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

Colored pearls

The color pearls are made of water chestnuts, tapioca starch, and food coloring.

• Water chestnuts – I used canned water chestnuts for this recipe. I also tested a batch of pearls with jicama since water chestnuts can be hard to find, and I really liked it with jicama. Of course for a more authentic experience, use water chestnuts if you can find them.
• Tapioca starch – This gives the pearls their gummy exterior. No substitutions for this ingredient.
• Food coloring – Traditionally, red food coloring is used to make the pearls red. However, you can also use beets to naturally color the chestnuts. I also experimented with ube extract which is how I made some of my pearls purple. I personally loved the ube pearls over the red pearls. Another option I did not test is using pandan extract to make them bright green. Let me know if you try it!

Coconut sauce

This coconut sauce is included in a lot of different Che. For my recipe, I use coconut milk and sugar. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to control how sweet your coconut sauce is. Additionally, you can substitute sugar with other sweeteners like brown sugar, agave syrup, or honey. You can even use a little bit of the sweet syrup in the canned fruit.

Assorted fruits and jellies

You can use any fruit you want for this dessert. The only one that is almost a requirement is jackfruit. I have never had Che Thai without jackfruit. I chose to use canned longan and lychee, but you can also use the fresh versions of these fruits. Other fruits you can use are mango, peach, strawberry, apricot, and berries. Use whatever you like and can find.

In terms of jellies, I chose to use canned Aiyu jelly which is jelly made from the Taiwanese Aiyu Jelly Fig. There are 2 colors you can buy in the can – yellow and green. Traditionally, most people use the green one but you can use whichever color you like. If you can’t find Aiyu jelly, I would use any kind of jelly you can find at the store like Jell-O. No it’s not as authentic to use Western jellies, but it still tastes good!

How to make Che Thai at home

Prep the ingredients

First, prep all your ingredients. Open all the cans and drain them. Cut the jelly and jackfruit. Set all the fruit and jelly aside.

Make the coconut sauce

Next, make the coconut sauce. Combine the ingredients in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir until the liquid starts to simmer. Pour the sauce into a bowl and let it sit in the freezer for 20-30 minutes until room temperature. Placing the sauce in the freezer will help the sauce cool down quickly while you are prepping the rest of the ingredients.

Make the colored pearls

Lastly, make the colored pearls (see above for reference)! Cut the water chestnuts into 1/4 inch pieces and divide them evenly between 2 bowls. Add the red food coloring to 1 bowl and the ube extract to the other bowl. Stir until the chestnuts are evenly coated. Add the tapioca starch to each bowl. Stir until the chestnuts are evenly coated. Sift the water chestnuts using a fine mesh sieve to remove any excess starch.

Add water to a pot (~2 inches up the sides) and bring to a boil. Add the red and purple pearls in batches. Once you add the pearls to the boiling water, stir to prevent the pearls from sticking together.

Once the pearls float to the top, scoop them out and add them to a bowl of cold water. I like to put the red and purple pearls into separate bowls. Let them sit for at least 10 minutes to cool down.

Putting it all together

Now you’re ready to make your drinks! Add 1-2 scoops of the red and purple pearls to a cup. Follow with the jelly and assorted fruits. Top with crushed ice and some coconut sauce. Enjoy!

Tips on how to make the perfect Che Thai

Make sure all your ingredients are cold

This drink is best served cold especially on a hot day. I personally like to stick ingredients in the fridge as I prep other ingredients. Also, use a lot of ice!

Don’t be afraid to customize your ingredients to your tastes

The best part of this dessert is you can use whatever fruits and jellies you want. Feel free to use what is local to you and what appeals to your tastebuds.

How to store Che Thai

The best way to store Che Thai is to separate all the ingredients and store them in their own airtight containers. The colored pearls can be kept in the fridge for ~1 day. After a day, they tend to stick together and absorb all the liquid in the container, making them mushy. The coconut sauce can be stored up to 3 days, and the fruit can be stored until they are no longer fresh, usually up to a week.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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