Recipe: Beancurd and Barley Sweet Dessert Soup
Here is a traditional Chinese dessert or ‘soothing’ tonic known as tong sui (糖水). I asked my friend Pamelia Chia of SGP Noodles, also a previous #ChineseFoodiesofIG guest, to share her recipe. The key ingredient is yuba, or beancurd sheets. Normally ginkgo nuts are added but I couldn’t find any, so I threw in a few jujube dates instead.
Like many Asian desserts, this will never be ‘Instagrammable’ by Western standards, and should remain proudly so. As for its appeal: wrinkly beancurd skin like a flappy bandaid... bloated pearl barley... murky half-pulp-half-water... to some it may entice, and to others discourage. Well, as they say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. And I say “deliciousness is in the mouth of the taster”!
Let me know if you try this recipe and share your results on Instagram with #CelestialPeach.
Ingredients (serves 4)
100g dried beancurd sheet, torn finely
100g pearl barley
30g dried yuba, torn coarsely
4 pandan leaves
80g rock sugar
100g vacuum-packed or canned ginkgo
Instructions
Soak the finely torn dried beancurd sheet with 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2L water for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak the pearl barley and coarsely torn dried beancurd sheet in water separately.
Drain the finely torn beancurd and rinse well before combining in a pot with 2L water, the drained barley, pandan and rock sugar.
Bring to a boil, then cook over medium low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
The beancurd should have fully disintegrated and the barley should be tender.
Halve the ginkgo lengthwise and remove the shoot in the middle. Place in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the pandan leaves from the pot. Drain the ginkgo and the coarsely torn beancurd sheet and add to the pot. Heat just long enough for the beancurd to soften but not disintegrate, just a few minutes.
Heat just long enough for the beancurd to soften but not disintegrate, just a few minutes.
