Spiced Mung Bean Dessert Porridge
(Kacang Ijo)
This delicious dessert porridge belongs to a family of sweets enriched with coconut milk that are called pengat in Malaysia and kolak in Indonesia. It is often eaten as a midmorning snack.
Yield: serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 cups dried green mung beans
- 6 fresh or frozen pandan leaves, tied in knots
- 1 (3″) piece ginger, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1⁄2″ pieces, bruised with the back of a knife
- 1 (3″) cinnamon stick
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk
- 3⁄4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Put the beans, pandan leaves, ginger, cinnamon, and 6 cups water into a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
- Stir 1 cup coconut milk and sugar into the beans and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove and discard the pandan leaves, ginger, and cinnamon. Ladle the soup into bowls and let cool slightly. Drizzle with remaining coconut milk and serve warm.
