Vietnamese dishes crack coconut code on new list

Pomelo sweet soup and honeycomb cake are among the Vietnamese dishes featured in TasteAtlas's list of the 100 best-rated coconut dishes worldwide.

The international food magazine analyzed over 590,000 ratings until May 18 to create their list.

Che buoi (pomelo sweet soup), a traditional dessert, ranks at number 33. This sweet soup combines pomelo, mung beans, and coconut. The white spongy parts of the pomelo are cubed, salted, soaked, rinsed, boiled, and mixed with sugar and tapioca starch, then combined with steamed mung beans, water, coconut milk, and sugar until thick.

At number 41, banh bo, or honeycomb cake, is a coconut-flavored sponge cake made with a light yeast-based batter of rice or tapioca flour. Known for its airy texture, it can be baked or steamed and tinted with natural colorings.

Coconut steamed rice with baby shrimp - com dua tep rang, at number 79, is a dish from Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta. It features rice soaked in coconut juice, steamed inside a coconut with carrots, onions, and lotus seeds, and served with caramelized shrimp seasoned with coconut juice.

Ranked at number 90, banh phu the, or husband and wife cake, is a dessert made with tapioca flour, mung beans, sugar, grated coconut, and pandan leaves. Known for its original translucent green color, it is wrapped in pandan leaves and steamed to a glutinous texture. It symbolizes good wishes at Vietnamese weddings and is traditionally given by the groom to the bride.

Just behind at number 91 is banh kep la dua - coconut pandan waffles. These waffles are made with a batter infused with pandan for green color and aroma, cooked in a waffle iron until there's little to no steam. Variations may include grated coconut flesh in the batter.

Topping the list is Thailand's khao soi, a northern Thai coconut soup with coconut milk, red curry paste, and flat egg noodles, typically served with meat and crispy fried noodles. Following closely are Brazil's bombocado, a dessert made with shredded parmesan and coconut, and Indonesia's rendang, a spicy meat dish.