Soupe sucrée banane-coco vietnamienne

Soak the tapioca pearls

Rinse the pearls in a sieve under cold water, then put them in a bowl and cover with plenty of water. Let them soak for 15 minutes. This short soak softens them a little so they don't clump into a sticky mass the moment they hit the hot pot.

• 80 g tapioca pearls

✅ C'est prêt quand : the pearls have softened slightly and separated, no longer powdery

Cook the pearls

Bring the water and pandan leaves to a boil in a heavy pot. Drain the soaked pearls and sprinkle them in straight away, stirring so they don't sink and stick to the bottom. Lower the heat and simmer gently, stirring every few minutes, for 15–20 minutes.

• 700 ml water
• 2 pandan leaves
• 80 g tapioca pearls (from step 1)

✅ C'est prêt quand : the pearls are fully translucent all the way through, with no cloudy white centre left when you bite one

Add the bananas

Add the sliced bananas to the pot and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, stirring only once or twice so the slices stay whole instead of breaking apart into mush.

• 4 bananas

✅ C'est prêt quand : the bananas are tender and slightly translucent at the edges but still hold their shape

Simmer with coconut milk

Pour in the coconut milk, 80 g of the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Keep the heat low so the soup stays just under a boil, around 85°C (185°F) — a hard boil can split coconut milk into grainy curds. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then.

• 400 ml coconut milk
• 80 g sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

✅ C'est prêt quand : the soup smells fragrant of coconut and pandan and looks glossy and lightly thickened

Make the coconut topping

In a small saucepan, warm the coconut cream with the remaining 20 g sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over low heat. Stir in the tapioca starch slurry and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon.

• 120 ml coconut cream
• 20 g sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp + 2 tbsp water tapioca starch slurry

✅ C'est prêt quand : the topping is glossy and lightly thickened, like a thin custard

Serve

Ladle the warm soup into bowls, spoon the coconut topping over each one, then scatter with crushed roasted peanuts and toasted sesame seeds. Best eaten warm, though it is also good at room temperature the next day.

• 40 g roasted peanuts
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds