Ever imagine eating a couple bunches of bananas at once? Sounds impossible, but these cutest banana tapioca bites (chân trâu hình quả chuối) make it kinda real, just in a smaller and chewier way.
They are tiny banana-shaped bites made from simple ingredients like tapioca and glutinous rice flour. The "banana" part gets its yellowy color from turmeric powder, while the "stalk" is tinted green with pandan, so they actually look like mini bananas. It's an easy snack that goes perfectly with Vietnamese desserts like chè (chè Thái, chè khoai môn - taro dessert, chè muối - banana dessert...) or even with a cold glass of banana milk for all the banana lovers out there. I swear, they will make you smile the moment you see them.
Tips & Notes
👩🍳 Pick the right bananas: Use semi-ripe bananas, firm but slightly soft. Overripe ones make the dough too wet and sticky, while under-ripe won't be sweet or fragrant enough.
👩🍳 To avoid sticky disaster dough: Tapioca flour needs heat to bind. Low heat the mashed banana with sugar and a bit of tapioca flour first => it helps remove excess moisture, brings out the banana aroma, and makes the dough form easily later.
👩🍳 For the colors: Use a little turmeric powder. Don't go overboard, even if the dough looks pale at first, it'll turn into the perfect banana-yellow after boiling. Too much turmeric can overpower the banana aroma.
👩🍳 Pandan extract: For a light green, use pandan juice or matcha powder. For a deeper, vibrant color, use concentrated pandan extract by blending pandan leaves, strain, then let it sit for 2 hours or simmer and use the dark green layer that settles at the bottom.
👩🍳 Texture check:
- If the dough is too soft or sticky -> add a bit more glutinous rice flour.
- If it's too firm and dry -> add a little warm water or mashed banana.
- If you want it softer and bouncier -> add a touch more tapioca flour (but not too much)
👩🍳 Boiling tip: When banana bites float, they're done. Transfer them to an ice bath for 2 minutes to keep them chewy and prevent sticking.
👩🍳 Make-ahead idea: You can shape and freeze them for later. Just dust with a little flour before freezing so they don't stick together.
👩🍳 Fun ways to eat these banana tapioca bites:
🍯 Drop them in chè (Vietnamese sweet soups): They go perfectly with chè chuối, chè đậu xanh, or chè bưởi, or any dessert with coconut milk, crushed ice...
🥛 Mix them in milk or banana milk: If you love banana-on-banana, toss a few of them into cold banana milk or coconut milk with ice. It's just like drinking boba.
🍦 Pair with ice cream: Try it with vanilla, coconut, or pandan ice cream... It can help balance the creamy texture so well.
🍮 Serve with pudding: Tuck a few banana bites in with some pudding (coconut)...
🍴 Eat them as a snack: Chill them, then serve on their own or with some condensed milk.
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