AI-generated photo.
Vietnamese · Iconic, Saigon · Vietnam
Che ba mau
Che ba mau (chè ba màu), a Saigon plate from Vietnam.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Che ba mau is cooked in Saigon as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Sweeten cooked beans and tapioca with coconut milk and palm sugar, then layer them cold over ice. Pandan is the usual scent. Banana carries the fruit here. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
72
Health score
Rich, enjoy occasionally
Indulgent
Richness
Balanced
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 11%
- Carbs 51%
- Fat 38%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 9.4 g, under the 25 g mark.
Suits · Low sodium
About 303 mg of sodium, under the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Suits · Vegan
No meat, fish, egg, dairy, honey, or gelatin in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
Fat or sugar is high for a day when appetite is low.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Canned coconut milk99 kcal
- Dry mung beans69 kcal
- Dry kidney beans51 kcal
- Tapioca pearls, dry36 kcal
- Neutral oil31 kcal
- Palm sugar29 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 23.1. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 331 kcal.
Allergens. None flagged in the required list.
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 248 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 331 kcal | 17% |
| Protein | 9.4 g | 19% |
| Carbohydrate | 43.7 g | 16% |
| Fiber | 6.2 g | 22% |
| Total sugars | 11.9 g | 24% |
| Fat | 14.6 g | 19% |
| Saturated fat | 10.1 g | 51% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 303 mg | 13% |
| Potassium | 636 mg | 14% |
| Calcium | 52 mg | 4% |
| Iron | 4.2 mg | 23% |
| Magnesium | 87 mg | 21% |
| Zinc | 1.3 mg | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 2 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 3.9 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin E | 0.4 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin K | 9 mcg | 8% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.2 mg | 19% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.1 mg | 7% |
| Niacin (B3) | 1.2 mg | 8% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.2 mg | 14% |
| Folate | 196 mcg | 49% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 mcg | 0% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Saturated fat is moderate to high. Worth noticing if cholesterol is on your mind.
- Sodium stays in a comfortable range.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot
- Scale
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Dry mung beans0.4 cup80 g
Dry kidney beans0.3 cup60 g
Canned coconut milk0.8 cup200 ml
Palm sugar2 tbsp30 g
Tapioca pearls, dry0.25 cup40 g
Ice1 cup120 g
Banana1 banana80 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
Neutral oil1 tbsp15.38 ml
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Che ba mau. Heat to a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh dry mung beans, dry kidney beans, canned coconut milk, palm sugar, tapioca pearls, dry, ice, banana, kosher salt, neutral oil. Che ba mau is cooked in Saigon as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Sweeten cooked beans and tapioca with coconut milk and palm sugar, then layer them cold over ice. Pandan is the usual scent. Banana carries the fruit here. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Che ba mau is cooked in vietnam. Tomato sauce is ready when it looks darker and a spoon leaves a brief line.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Che ba mau, until the edges take a little color. Leave the lid ajar so the surface reduces instead of boiling over.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Che ba mau at a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C. Start checking at 54 minutes. Che ba mau is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
Simmer 54 min
- 🇻🇳 VietnamSoutheast Asiaicon-vietnam-che-ba-mau-step-4
Che ba mau, step 5
Step 5 · Che ba mau
5Check the center of Che ba mau, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇻🇳 VietnamSoutheast Asiaicon-vietnam-che-ba-mau-step-5
Che ba mau, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Che ba mau for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in vietnam, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Che ba mau in this shot order and no other: aromatics softening without color; a tight shot of the crust or surface; a colander and a cloud of steam; wide on the cold pan before the heat. Slate words for the editor: marble, zephyr, mortar, bronzed, shimmer, hearthside, undercrust, iris, umber, hearth.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Che ba mau is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Che ba mau looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Che ba mau turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Che ba mau, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Che ba mau is one of the plates people ask for by name from Saigon.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Sweeten cooked beans and tapioca with coconut milk and palm sugar, then layer them cold over ice. Pandan is the usual scent. Banana carries the fruit here.
Allergens in the required list: none flagged.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.