Vietnamese banana bread pudding with coconut caramel sauce
A twist on a traditional bread-and-butter pudding, this Vietnamese-inspired version uses coconut milk and bananas for a flavour blast. I have added roasted pecans for texture and, if you can get them, fresh pandan leaves and sweet, fragrant Vietnamese cinnamon, which are truly transportive. If you don’t fancy making the caramel sauce (though I do urge you to), pouring cream will do just fine.
Ingredients
400g slightly stale white crusty bread
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
125ml pure cream
2 fresh pandan leaves (or 1 split vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 Vietnamese cinnamon stick (or 2 regular cinnamon sticks)
10g butter, softened
2 large bananas, peeled and sliced into 1cm-thick coins (about 130g after peeling)
100g roasted pecans, roughly chopped
4 large egg yolks
160g light, brown muscovado sugar
1 tbsp rum (optional)
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp demerara sugar
½ tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon (or ¾ tsp regular cinnamon)
FOR THE COCONUT CARAMEL SAUCE (OPTIONAL)
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
50g light, brown muscovado sugar
2 pandan leaves (optional)
pinch of sea salt flakes
Method
Step 1
Remove the crusts from the bread and tear into 3-4cm pieces; you should have about 250g altogether. Spread on a tray to dry out a little while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 2
Place the coconut milk, cream, vanilla bean (if using) and cinnamon stick(s) in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. If using the pandan, tie a knot in the leaves (this stops them from fraying) and drop into the milk mixture. Heat until it comes to a simmer, then turn the heat off to allow the cinnamon and pandan (or vanilla bean) to infuse and cool a little.
Step 3
Meanwhile, smear the softened butter all over the base and sides of an ovenproof dish approximately 26cm in diameter. Scatter about one third of the bread pieces over the base of the dish, then layer with about one third of the banana slices, followed by one third of the pecans. Repeat the layering twice more, using half of each of the remaining ingredients in each layer.
Step 4
Place the egg yolks, muscovado sugar, rum (if using) and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Strain the warm coconut milk mixture into the egg mixture and immediately whisk to combine. Discard the cinnamon stick(s) and pandan leaves (if using). If you used a vanilla bean, wash and set aside to dry, then tuck it into your sugar canister to make vanilla-flavoured sugar. If using vanilla extract, whisk it into the egg-and-milk mixture now.
Step 5
Using a large ladle, spoon the custard slowly all over the bread/banana/pecan layers, one ladle at a time, until it just covers the top layer. Press gently to immerse the bread in the custard, then set aside to soak for a few minutes.
Step 6
Preheat your oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). In a small bowl, combine the demerara sugar with the ground cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the top of the bread pudding. Place the dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes until it’s golden brown and crusty. To test if the pudding is done, insert the tip of a small knife into the centre and gently press down: if the custard looks set and doesn’t ooze out, it’s ready.
Step 7
While the pudding is in the oven, make the caramel sauce by combining the coconut milk and muscovado sugar in a saucepan and whisking to combine. Tie a knot in the pandan leaves (if using) and drop that into the pan, then place the pan over medium-high heat. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened and glossy (about 20 minutes). Stir in the salt flakes, then remove the pandan leaf.
Step 8
Serve the pudding warm or cold with the coconut caramel sauce drizzled on top.
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Helen Goh is a chef and regular Good Weekend columnist.
