Red Bean & Coconut Chè

📝 Ingredients

• 2 tins kidney beans (500 g drained)
• 300 ml water (for cooking the beans)
• 80 g caster sugar (60 g for the beans, 20 g for the sauce)
• 200 ml coconut milk (18% fat)
• 1 tbsp cornflour (10 g) + 2 tbsp cold water
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

🍴 Utensils

• Colander
• 2 saucepans
• Small frying pan
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon
• 4 glasses or bowls

📖 Steps

1. Tip the red beans into a sieve and rinse them thoroughly under cold water until it no longer foams: this removes the salty liquid from the tin. Drain well.
2. Put the beans in a saucepan with 300 ml water and 60 g sugar. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 min, stirring occasionally so they don't stick.
3. Check they are done: the beans are ready when they crush easily between two fingers and the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup. If they start to stick before then, add a little water. Then crush a quarter of the beans against the side of the pan with the wooden spoon to bind everything together.
4. While they cook, dry-toast the sesame seeds in a small frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 min, stirring constantly, until golden and nutty-smelling. Tip them straight into a bowl so they don't burn.
5. Make the coconut sauce: in a second saucepan, heat the coconut milk with 20 g sugar, the vanilla and the salt over a low heat, stirring, until it just begins to simmer. Don't let it boil hard, or the coconut milk will split.
6. Mix the cornflour with the 2 tbsp cold water, pour it into the coconut milk while whisking and cook for 1 to 2 min over a low heat, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat.
7. Divide the beans between the glasses, either warm or chilled for 1 h in the fridge, as you prefer. Top each portion with coconut sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame just before serving, so it stays crunchy.