Mung Beans, Red Beans, Agar-agar with Coconut Milk is an Asian dessert filled with shaved ice and flavored with vanilla or pandan, if desired.

When I go to a Vietnamese restaurant, I usually order Che Ba Mau, a Vietnamese Three Color Bean Dessert. What I’m making is very similar to this dessert but instead I’m using a multi-color agar-agar (jelly or gelatin).

This is so refreshing during hot summer days but I also make it during winter.

Three Asian desserts with mung beans, red beans, agar-agar, coconut milk, and shaved ice in plastic cups with red spoons.

In fact, if you want to quickly make this dessert, you can buy the beans already cooked. Go to any Asian store and they have it. Make the agar-agar ahead of time and it’s really easy. Agar-agar is sold in powder form or bars in different colors. Please check my posting “How to Make Gulaman (Agar-agar)”.

There are many varieties of agar-agar from different Asian countries. If you are using a different type, read their cooking instructions on the packaging. Water measurement and cooking instruction most likely will be different than mine.

Some of the ingredients are mung beans, red beans, and agar-agar or gulaman.

Some people soak the beans overnight. I don’t. It is cooked by boiling it in water until soft. These beans when boiled will expand. So if you don’t intend to make this dessert everyday, a half cup of beans will make a few servings.

Dessert video

Note: In my video, I used 1 cup of red beans and 1 cup of mung beans. I was preparing it for a larger group of people. The recipe below is cut in half.

Recipe

Mung Beans, Red Beans, Agar-agar with Coconut Milk

Mung Beans, Red Beans, Agar-agar with Coconut Milk is a delicious and refreshing Asian dessert filled with shaved ice and flavored with vanilla or pandan, if desired. Great on hot summer days.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 5

Servings:

Calories: 396kcal

Ingredients

½ cup split hulled mung beans boiled until soft
½ cup red beans boiled until soft
1 agar-agar stick any color
1 can coconut cream or milk
pandan or vanilla flavor optional
shaved ice depending on how many cups you are making

Sugar syrup

¾ cup sugar
¾ cup water

Instructions

Boil mung beans and red beans separately with 3 cups of water over medium heat until soft. Drain water. Let it cool before using.
Soak one stick of agar-agar in water for ½ hour, then boil stirring occasionally until it melts. Cool in a flat pan until it hardens then cut into cubes or strips. For more detailed instructions to make agar-agar bar, visit “How to Make Gulaman (Agar-agar)”.
Heat sugar and water in a small pot under medium heat. When sugar is dissolved, remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
Time to assemble this dessert.
In a tall glass, add 2 tablespoons of each ingredients: mung beans, red beans and agar-agar.
Pour about 3-4 tablespoons of coconut cream and 3 tablespoons sugar syrup.
Fill the glass with shaved ice about ¾ full.
Add flavoring like pandan or vanilla, if desired.
Top it with 1 teaspoon of mung and red beans and 1 teaspoon agar-agar.
Eat immediately before ice melts. Before eating, mix it all up. Enjoy!

Notes

This will make 5 to 8 servings depending on glass size.
I used my blender to shave the ice.
I am using the Filipino gulaman (agar-agar) and they can in stick or bar. If you are using a different type, follow their cooking instructions on the packaging.

Nutrition