Rainbow Drink (che ba mau)

The rainbow drink is fun and filling, so much so that it can make a perfect afternoon snack on a hot summer’s day. Che ba mau is always colourful, with textures ranging from crunchy agar jelly sticks (available in Asian markets) to starchy beans and creamy coconut milk.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup skinless split mung beans, soaked for 3 hours and drained
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup red azuki beans, soaked for 4 hours and drained
• 1 ½ cups coconut milk
• ¼ cup tapioca pearls
• 1 can longan, drained

Method

• Bring 2 cups of water to a simmer in a pot over medium heat. Add the mung beans and ½ cup sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the water is completely absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Bring 2 cups of water just to a boil in a pot over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the azuki beans and ¼ cup sugar. Cover and simmer until the beans are cooked through, about 3 hours. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use 
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• Meanwhile, bring the coconut milk and 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining sugar and tapioca pearls, and simmer until the tapioca pearls have become completely transparent. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• In an ice soda glass, working in layers, place 2 tablespoons shaved ice in between 3 tablespoons each of everything else staring with shaved ice, coconut tapioca, shaved ice (again), mung beans, shaved ice (again), azuki beans, shaved ice, coconut tapioca (again) and a few logans on top. Use ice cream spoons to eat and a straw to sip!