Afternoon Delight

A sticky sister has arrived in the capital for a two week sticky-beak. She's mad on markets and food, so we did a "What the.......?" idle up the aisles at the Hang Be street food sheds yesterday arvo. There was killing, plucking, skinning, soaking, frying, roasting, husking, watering and pestle and mortaring going on. Little crabs were being pestled and mortared alive! Welcome to Vietnam, sis!

We melted to a halt for a spot of afternoon tea, an intermission from the carnage. There is no word in English for this 'liquids and solids together glass of wonder' that is known as che in Vietnamese and translated to me as tea! This ain't no Lipton infusion - not a cup or saucer nor cucumber sandwich in sight.

Che really belongs on the back page of menus - it's sweet, colourful, can be served with ice or warm in winter, all the characteristics of a dessert. Ingredients vary but can include vegetables (the likes of kidney beans, corn, taro), coconut (shredded, sugary roasted, thickened milk), jellified rainbows, tapioca, lotus seeds...the list goes on. One of the standards sold by the weaving basket brigade is dominated by black rice jelly.

This che chick of the Hang Be food stalls served us up a couple of jars of che thap cam - a mixed mongrel of ingredients, banged on an inch or two of crushed ice, spoon dug in. Sis and I mix, excavate little texture treats, open wide, chew and swallow. It's afternoon delight!

Damage:

5000VND a glass (USD31c, AUD41c)

Hang Be Market Stalls, No 163

smack bang in the middle of the Old Quarter

Comments

[Matt]

You should try the fruit version, not really "sinh to" I think as the fruits are not blended, but a big mixture of stuff with condensed milk & crushed ice. Some popular shops on Hang Hom, not a million miles from Hang Be.

[Sticky]

Have tried, but haven't blogged it! I agree. Don't you love the bees hanging about on the fruit? By the way, does anybody know the new whereabouts of a fantastic che place that used to be up an alley off Tran Hung Dao Street?

[Matt]

Ah so those were the crunchy bits.... got a recommendation for you - Lau re, goat bbq place on junction of Hang Cot & Phan Dinh Phung. Had dinner there and now have a gut like a beachball.... I go there at least once a fortnight. Just like the bbq don't reckon the lau much tho'

[Preya]

Yummm...I love che. Che buoi (made with mung beans) is also delicious, but be careful how your pronounce it! I've gotten some weird looks asking for it:)

[Nana]

Nana said...
Hey, the other day I went to a restaurant in Dk: Restaurant Saigon. They served for me a drink/dessert called Che Thap Cam, but now I want the recipe and I can't find it. Has any of you heard of it before?

This is the only info I can find about the dessert on the internet:

Che thap cam(sweet soup of many kinds) is the combination of many ingredients like green beans, che dau huyet, che bot loc. Each contributes to the common flavor of che thap cam.

Che Thap Cam -- yam, taro, yucca, and coconut milk

But what's wrong with the picture??
I think some pictures look a little bit disgusting..- -"
zoom too close??