Authentic Che Thai (Vietnamese Fruit Cocktail)

5 from 5 ratings

Authentic Che Thai (Vietnamese Fruit Cocktail)

Che Thai is a refreshing and dairy-free Vietnamese dessert that every Vietnamese kid grew up loving. It is made with Asian jelly, assorted fruits, and a yummy coconut sauce.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Che Thai, Che Thai recipe

Servings: people

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Becca Du

Ingredients

Coconut Sauce

1 can coconut milk 14 oz
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Red Pearls (see note 1)

2 ½ oz water chestnuts cut into ¼ inch pieces, see note 2
2 drops red food coloring
½ cup tapioca starch

Purple Pearls (see note 1)

2 ½ oz water chestnuts cut into ¼ inch pieces
¼ tsp ube extract
½ cup tapioca starch

Assorted Fruits and Jellies (see note 3 & 4)

1 can Aiyu jelly 20 oz, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 can jackfruit 20 oz, thinly sliced
1 can lychee 20 oz
1 can longan 20 oz

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep your ingredients

Open all the cans and drain them.
Cut the jelly and jackfruit. Set all the fruit and jelly aside in the fridge.

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

Cut the water chestnuts into ¼ 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!

Video

Notes

Red and purple pearls. You can choose to make 1 or both. If you choose to only make 1 colored pearl, use 5 oz of water chestnuts, double the amount of food coloring, and 1 cup of tapioca starch.
Water chestnuts. I used about half a 20 oz can of water chestnuts. I drained the water chestnuts and then weighed just the water chestnuts for the recipe. If you can't find water chestnuts, use jicama as a substitute.
Assorted fruits. You can use any fruit that you want. Other fruits you can use are mango, peach, strawberries, apricots, or berries. You can use either canned or fresh fruits.
Assorted jellies. If you can't find Aiyu jelly, you can use any kind of store bought jelly like Jell-O.
Storage. 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.

Nutrition