Vietnamese Three Color Dessert (Che Suong Sa Hat Luu / Che Ba Mau)

Add mung beans to a small pot. Add water to cover by 1½ inches. Cook until softened on medium-low heat, uncovered (about 20 minutes). We want the mung beans to retain its shape so avoid overcooking. Drain mung beans through a sieve and discard water. Transfer to a bowl and mix mung beans with sugar and salt while still hot. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add agar agar powder and mix until fully dissolved. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and mix in pandan extract. Pour mixture into a square mold. Allow the mixture to cool off then transfer to the fridge to chill for 3 hours. Once chilled, remove the jelly from the mold by loosening up the sides with a knife. Gently slice into thin strips and set aside. You may also use a mandoline slicer for quicker cutting. Note: This particular agar agar brand has both agar agar powder and sugar combined so no need for additional sugar.

To a medium-size saucepan, bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath and set aside. In the meantime, add chopped water chestnut to a large bowl and add red food coloring. Toss until evenly covered. Add tapioca starch and toss evenly. Transfer coated water chestnut to a sieve or colander to remove excess starch. Add water chestnuts to the boiling water and let it cook for 2-3 minutes until they all float to the top and the tapioca starch turns translucent (clear; not white). Using a slotted spoon or seive, transfer water chestnut to the ice bath for 2 minutes then transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Add water and sugar to a small saucepan and heat on medium high. Once mixture comes to a boil, turn off heat and set aside.

Divide the mung beans, agar-agar jelly and faux pomegranate seeds into 5 tall glasses, layering each ingredient each time. Add a tablespoon of simple syrup (more or less depending on your taste), about ½ cup crushed ice and 2-3 tablespoons of coconut sauce. Serve and enjoy.