Easy to make with minimal ingredients, this coconut milk mung bean dessert features green mung beans, also known as green gram lentils. Make extra to cater for a few days of healthy late afternoon sweet snacks, like I always do in my kitchen.
About This Nutritious Southeast Asian Mung Bean Dessert
If you have not heard of coconut milk mung bean dessert, it is a famous sweet mung bean soup dish across Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore, it’s called ‘Bubur Kacang Hijau’, which translates to ‘Green Beans Porridge’.
In Thailand, a similar variation called ‘Thai Tao Suan’ is made with yellow split mung beans instead of green mung beans and appears thicker and starchier, more like a pudding.
Its texture resembles the Vietnamese version of mung bean pudding, ‘Chè Hoa Cau,’ and the Filipino version, ‘Ginataang Munggo.’ Each version uses a different carbohydrate thickening agent.
Table of Contents
- About This Nutritious Southeast Asian Mung Bean Dessert
- Is this Sweet Mung Bean soup cooling or heating?
- About this Sweet Mung Bean Porridge Recipe
- Ingredients with substitution
- How to make Coconut Milk Mung Bean Dessert on a Stovetop
- How to make Coconut Milk Mung Bean Dessert using Instant Pot
- Storage and reheating guide
- Is this Mung Bean Soup Dessert Healthy?
- FAQs
- Other sweet coconut milk recipes you might like
- Other legumes and pulse recipes
Is this Sweet Mung Bean soup cooling or heating?
Despite variations in texture and thickness, mung bean dessert is typically enjoyed warm but is known for its cooling effect on the body. This might explain why it remains popular in the tropical climate of Southeast Asia.
About this Sweet Mung Bean Porridge Recipe
A common treat during gatherings in my extended family, this traditional dessert is often served as a late-afternoon snack next to coffee or tea. The ingredients are cheap and nutritious, making it a filling and high-protein snack for serving a large family.
This recipe comes from my mother, who runs her own restaurant. On some Fridays (which are considered holy for doing good deeds), she would make this mung bean dessert and serve it for free to her customers as a way to give back to the community.
The only tweak I made is replacing sago (a simple carb) with corn (a complex carb), adding extra nutrients to this mung bean dessert. I’m happy to share this family recipe with you, and I hope you’ll benefit from the goodness.
So, whether you prefer a traditional stovetop method or a quicker method using Instant Pot, I have the step-by-step visual guide covered below, but first, the ingredients!
Ingredients with substitution
Green Mung Beans – Also goes by green moong dal, or green gram lentils. Do not substitute this for other beans, as the time taken to cook each bean and the flavor may vary.
Fresh coconut milk/ all-natural coconut cream – I like using fresh coconut cream, it’s easier to handle (less likely to curdle) than fresh coconut milk, which you extract yourself.
Corn kernels – I use the raw, fresh ones that I extracted from the cob, as they are more natural. Feel free to use the frozen or canned corn (unsweetened).
Palm Sugar – Palm sugar comes with a toffee flavor that brings the authenticity of Southeast Asian dessert.
Substitute: Unrefined coconut sugar for a similar flavor and sweetness. Monk fruit sweetener as a healthy sweetener swap.
Pandan Leaf – Apart from making Southeast Asian desserts more aromatic, this ayurvedic leaf contains anti-inflammatory properties that may add extra nutrients. Feel free to use pandan extract if that’s what you have.
Substitute: I have seen some people use vanilla extract as a substitute, but I have never tried it. Let me know if you do!
Salt – Salt lifts the flavor of coconut milk and palm sugar. Try not to skip this ingredient for a better flavor unless you have a restriction.
How to make Coconut Milk Mung Bean Dessert on a Stovetop
- Wash and soak the beans – Wash the beans in a strainer and remove the unwanted rotten beans or debris. Soak them in a bowl of water for at least 4 hours or leave it overnight. It’s optional but highly recommended, which I mentioned below. I sometimes skip this if the decision is impulsive and go for the Instant Pot method.
- Boil the beans – Strain the mung beans, transfer them into a medium-sized pot with water, and boil over high to medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, cover with a lid, and leave it to cook until soft. This will take about 30 minutes. If you have an Instant Pot and want to cook faster, jump to the Instant Pot method instead.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except coconut milk) – Toss in fresh corn kernel, pandan leaf, salt, and sugar and cook to boil with mung beans for about 5 minutes. Stir to mix the ingredients well.
- Add the coconut milk and continuously stir until boiling and all ingredients are fully incorporated. Turn off the heat and move the pot from the stove.
How to make Coconut Milk Mung Bean Dessert using Instant Pot
If you own an Instant Pot, the pressure cooker method will save you some time. Compared to the stovetop method, the Instant Pot takes 15 minutes less. Plus, this method is better if you choose to skip the soaking.
- Combine clean water and mung beans in the Instant Pot. Cover the lid tightly, turn the valve to ‘Sealing’,
- Then press ‘Pressure Cook’ and adjust the time (+) to 10 minutes.
- Once the timer is done, with your hand covered, release the steam by turning the valve to ‘Venting’. When it stops releasing the pressure, open the lid.
- To continue cooking manually, set the Instant Pot on ‘Sauté’ on ‘Normal’ heat and adjust the timing to 10 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients (except for coconut milk) and stir while cooking together for about 5 minutes.
- At this time the corn should be soft enough, add coconut milk and stir constantly with a spatula until it starts boiling. While at it, feel free to adjust the taste and thickness to your liking. Keep stirring until timer is done, then turn it off and remove the Inner Pot to stop it from cooking. Enjoy it warm!
Storage and reheating guide
Transfer the mung bean soup to a container with a lid and store it in a fridge for up to 3 days. The soup will get thicker in cold temperatures due to the starch content, but worry not, once you reheat it, the texture will be back to normal.
You can reheat it by boiling it on a stovetop or in a microwave. Before that, consider adding some water to adjust the consistency.
Is this Mung Bean Soup Dessert Healthy?
This mung bean soup is known to be a healthy Asian dessert and is packed with nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, protein, and antioxidant properties. Let’s look at the health nutrition facts of Mung Beans:
A cup of boiled mung beans contains:
- Calories: 212
- Fat: 0.8 grams
- Protein: 14.2 grams
- Carbs: 38.7 grams
- Fiber: 15.4 grams
- Folate (Vitamin B9): 321 µg / 80% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
- Manganese: 30% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 97 mg / 24% of the RDI
- Vitamin B1: 22% of the RDI
- Iron: 2.83 mg / 16% of the RDI
- Copper: 0.315 mg / 16% of the RDI
- Potassium: 537 mg / 15% of the RDI
- Zinc: 1.7mg / 11% of the RDI
- Vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6 and selenium
Source (USDA)
Note that this dessert contains palm sugar and coconut milk that can add up to the amount of calories, so moderation is still encouraged.
Swap corn to other plant-based ingredients
🌱 Taro, yam, and sweet potato contain fiber and are rich in antioxidants
1/2 corn = 1 cup of any of the root vegetable cut into small cubes.
FAQs
Why do you need to soak mung beans?
Soaking mung beans helps reduce phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that can interfere with mineral absorption. Some people are sensitive to beans, soaking them can improve digestion and reduce the chance of bloating. In cooking, soaking helps the beans absorb water and soften, which reduces cooking time.
Other sweet coconut milk recipes you might like
Other legumes and pulse recipes
Coconut Milk Mung Bean Dessert with Corn
4
servings214
kcal45
minutes25
MinutesThis Southeast Asian coconut milk dessert features green mung bean with corn, sweetened with palm sugar. Rich in protein, fiber, and antioxidants, this sweet soup makes a filling afternoon snack.
Ingredients
1 cup green mung beans
5 cups of water for boiling (Stovetop)
3 cups (Instant Pot)1/2 cup of coconut cream + 1/2 cup water (or 1 cup of coconut milk)
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 piece pandan leaf (tie in a knot) – skip if you don’t have
3 tbsp palm sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Directions
- Wash the beans in a strainer, while at it, remove the black ones or any debris. Soak them in a bowl of water for at least 4 hours or leave them overnight (optional)
- Stovetop Method – (Soaking is recommended)
- Strain the soaked beans and transfer them to a medium-sized pot with water. Bring them to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the mung beans are soft.
- Bring in the rest of the ingredients to the pot (except for the coconut milk), stir to mix, and let the corn cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add coconut milk and stir constantly until boiling. Turn off the heat, remove it from the stove, and enjoy it warm!
- Instant Pot – Pressure Cooker method (Soaking is optional)
- Combine mung beans and clean water in the Instant Pot. Close the lid tightly and turn the valve to ‘Sealing’.
- Press the ‘Pressure Cook’ button, adjust the time (+) to 10 minutes, and leave it to cook.
- Once the timer beeps, turn the valve to ‘Venting’ and only open when it is finished releasing the steam.
- To continue manual cooking, press the ‘Sauté’ button on ‘Normal’ heat and adjust the timer to 10 minutes. Toss all the ingredients into the pot (except for coconut milk) and stir to mix while cooking for about 5 minutes.
- Lastly, add the coconut milk and constantly stir the mixture until the timer is done. Once the timer is done, turn off the Instant Pot and remove the inner pot to stop the cooking. It’s ready to serve!
Notes
- Coconut milk can curdle in high temperatures, so make sure to keep the heat medium to low while stirring constantly and avoid cooking for longer than 5 minutes.
🥣 Did you try this recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comment below.
