The Tran Clan
By: Alina Tran
When my mom was living in post-war Vietnam, my grandpa was suspected to have ties with the old government so he was apprehended and sent to a reeducation camp for two years that was pretty much a jail. This left grandma in charge of their four kids, so she was always working to support them and to secretly save enough money for them to escape. This was especially risky because there were eyes everywhere for the communist government. Seeing her parents’ situations and being the second eldest child among her siblings, my mom wanted to adopt more household chores in order to support the family in her own way. Specifically, she wanted to learn how to cook for everyone, and that's when her neighbor started to take her under her wing. Oftentimes, my mom would go over to her neighbor's house to help and observe in the kitchen. My mom's favorite dessert served there was the Che Xoi Nuoc or Mungbean Mochis. Her favorite part was the mungbean filling as it had a slightly savory tinge that you wouldn’t expect from a dessert. Honestly, I feel like this dish reminds her of the childhood she gave up since this dish was given to her from an older, protective figure that took care of her when she was trying to act like an adult while also dealing with adolescence. Knowing this story has just made me gain a deeper appreciation for my mom being the backbone of our family because it really shows how driven she was to care for others, and it makes me feel grateful for everything she has given me. Also, I think it is similar to many other stories of our parents or grandparents sacrificing their childhoods in the hopes for better futures for them and their loved ones
Che Xoi Nuoc or Mungbean Mochis
​
Directions:
​
Step 1: Water and sweet rice flour into it makes a dough and put in a separate container, let it rise for 30 minutes
​
Step 2: Cook mung beans on the stove in water or in the rice cooker until they are soft
Step 3: While the beans cool down, fry some minced shallots in palm oil until slightly golden
​
Step 4: mung beans in a bowl and add pinches of salt and sugar to your liking, add shallots last
​
Step 5: When the ingredients as you switch up the mung beans with a fork
​
Step 6: Use hands to mold mung beans in 2 tbsp size balls and refrigerate
​
Step 7: Spread flour on a flat surface to work with the dough we made earlier
​
Step 8: Portion the dough into tablespoon sizes or just an enough to cover the mung beanballs, place the dough into the palm of your hand and press down to flatten the dough
​
Step 9: Put a mung bean ball into the center sheep the door around it, pinch the ends together to close the ball and roll around in palms to secure and smooth
​
Step 10: Cooking the ginger syrup, in a small pot fill it halfway with water
​
Step 11: Put it on the stove with low heat, add enough cane sugar and ginger slices to your liking
​
Step 12: Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes in order to steep the ginger flavor, taste periodically
​
Step 13: When satisfied, put mochi balls into the syrup, cover, and boil until the balls float
Step 14: Take it off the stove when done for it to cool down
​
Step 15: To make the coconut sauce, add one can of coconut milk, a teaspoon of flour, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt into a small pot
Step 16: Put it on the stove on low heat and mix
​
Step 17: Mix until it has a slightly thick consistency
​
Step 18: To serve, the ginger syrup, 3-5 Mochis, your coconut sauce, and sesame seeds into a bowl