Vietnamese three-colour dessert with coconut milk (Chè ba màu)

1. Soak the red beans overnight and the split mung beans for 2 hours before cooking. Cook the red beans in fresh water until tender (about 60 minutes), sweeten with 3 tablespoons of sugar at the end and leave to cool in their liquid.

2. Cook the mung beans in a little water with a pinch of salt for 20 minutes until they collapse; mash with 2 tablespoons of sugar into a thick purée.

3. Chop the pandan leaves, blend with the water and strain. Bring the green liquid to the boil with the agar-agar and sugar, boil for 2 minutes while stirring, then pour into a shallow dish and leave to set.

4. Gently warm the coconut milk with the sugar and salt, stirring, without boiling, then leave to cool.

5. Cut the set pandan jelly into thin strips.

6. Layer in tall glasses: red beans at the bottom, then the mung bean purée, then the green jelly; top with crushed ice and pour over plenty of coconut sauce.

Tip: Vietnam's favourite summer cooler, eaten with a spoon. Stir the layers together before eating. If you can't find pandan leaves, a few drops of pandan extract give the jelly colour and aroma.