Chè Bắp Mochi Bí Đỏ (Sweet Corn and Pumpkin Mochi Pudding Dessert)

November is here! The days are shorter and colder. The leaves are falling along with some rain. Soon my backyard will cover in layers of yellow and red leaves. Soon we'll busy raking the leaves into gigantic piles. My girls always have a blast shuffling their feet through these piles or relishing the simple pleasure of jumping into it and rolling around in them. It's silly little things like this that can really brighten our day. Happy kids = Happy mom.

When November arrives, our vegetables turn yellow and wilt. This is when we harvest vegetables and save them to eat through out the year. Pumpkin is one of the vegetables that we grow every year. We usually harvest, store them in a cool place, and they can be kept for at least 3 months. We have been eating pumpkin soup and steamed pumpkin too often throughout the October month.

A couple weeks ago, I brought home some sweet corns from the store to make sweet corn pudding as I had wanted to create a dish while the corn season was still in, but I didn't get a chance until when the season is about to be over.  As I always like to incorporate natural ingredients in my food, I decided to add tangerine zest in this sweet corn pudding. The pleasantly fresh, sweet and citrusy aroma of tangerine zest mixed with the sweet corn, creamy coconut milk, blended in the white tapioca pearls is just perfect.

Just when I finished shooting some pictures of the sweet corn tapioca pudding, the idea of incorporating pumpkin into the dessert popped into my mind. I prepped a quick pumpkin mochi and added it to the corn pudding. I was excited to see the beautiful vibrant orange pumpkin mochi among the tiny white tapioca pearls. What a pleasing sight.

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RECIPE: Chè Bắp Mochi Bí Đỏ

printable recipe

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Ingredients

for corn pudding

6 Corns, make 3 cups

1/3 cup Tapioca Pearls

7 cups water

1 can (400 ml) Coconut Milk 

1 cup Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Powder
2 knots fresh or frozen Pandan Leaves

1/2 teaspoon Tangerine or Orange Zest, optional

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for pumpkin mochi

1/2 cup steamed smashed Pumpkin

2/3 cup Sweet Rice Flour

2 tablespoons Sugar

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Directions

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Preparing Corn

It was kind of messy when I cut the corn off the cob. The kernels jumped off my cutting board and the juice squirted across the kitchen island so I switched to a large bowl and a small knife. Cut down the side of the cob to remove the kernels but don't cut the kernel too deep into the cob. Continue rotating the corn and cutting until all the kernels are removed. Use the same knife to scrape down the remaining corn and juice. Set aside.

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Preparing Pumpkin Mochi

Bring a small pot of water to a boil.  In the meantime, combine smashed pumpkin, sugar, and sweet rice flour in a mixing bowl.

Mix well with a spoon then knead the dough with your hand until smooth.  Take a small amount of dough one at a time to form small balls by rolling between your palms.   

Once the water is boiling, drop the balls into the water pot and cook until the balls float to the surface.

Let them cook for another minute.  Strain the mochi and set aside.

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Cooking Sweet Corn and Pumpkin Mochi

Bring a pot with 7 cups of water, and knots of pandan leaves to a boil. In the meantime, soak tapioca pearls in a bowl of water.

When the water is boiling, strain the tapioca pearls and add them to the water pot.

Reduce the heat to medium, stirring occasionally until the pearls become transparent.

Add sweet corn and cook for about 10 minutes. Add pumpkin mochi, salt, sugar, tangerine zest if used and coconut milk.

Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Add vanilla powder. Give it a stir. Turn off the heat.

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Presentation

Ladle sweet corn and pumpkin mochi into a dessert bowl. This can be served warm or cold.

sweet corn pudding without pumpkin mochi

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Eat well. Stay Hungry.