Red Bean Paste with Mini Glutinous Rice Ball

I love Red Bean Soup but it takes such a long time to cook till the bean is soft and mushy. After asking around for ways to speed up the cooking process, there is this 70 years old lady whom I met at the Yacht Club, told me to blend it to make red bean paste instead and serve with glutinous rice balls. I gave it a try and make little mini glutinous rice balls. Used ready-made glutinous rice balls or omit totally, if desired. Aha! ‘Kee Chang’ (glutinous rice dumpling) can be added too.

Preparation: 20 mins, Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 200g red beans
° 1 litre water
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° sugar to taste

Glutinous Rice Ball
° 100g glutinous rice flour
° 90-100ml water

° 750ml water, for cooking the glutinous rice balls

Method
1. Soak the red bean with 750ml of water for 12 hours or more or overnight. Drain and rinse well.
2. Put all red bean, water and pandan leaves in a pot. Bring to boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
3. Place the cooked red bean in a blender with a little cooking water and blend until it is smooth. Add in all the cooking water and blend to mix well. Pour into a pot and add sugar. Bring to a boil and set aside.
4. To make dough, combine the flour and water in a mixing bowl. Mix well, knead into dough and divide into small equal portions. Add some water if the dough is too dry or some flour if it is too watery. Shape it into a ball using your hand.
5. Bring 750ml of water to boil. Add in glutinous rice balls and return to boil. Remove water the glutinous rice balls with a slotted spoon as soon as they float to the surface. Transfer to the red bean paste.
6. To serve, ladle the glutinous rice balls and red bean paste into individual serving bowls. Serve hot.

Traditional Glutinous Rice Balls

22 December is associated with the winter solstice and glutinous rice ball. A day before the winter solstice, you will be able to spot some white and red (in fact, it looked like pink) dough in the wet market. That is used for making glutinous rice ball which is then cooked and served in sugar syrup (white or brown sugar). It can be served in soup – for a salty version. For a filled glutinous rice ball, mix some sesame or peanut powders with sugar and oil/water for the filling.

Here is the basic recipe for making the dough, it is real simple and fast. Get the little ones involved in the process, they will love it and make different colours and sizes (BIG and small) of glutinous rice balls. For fun, I added basil seeds in the sugar syrup which is never present in the traditional version.

Preparation: 15 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
Dough
° 100g glutinous rice flour
° 90-100ml water
° red food colouring

Syrup
° 500ml water
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 1 slice ginger (optional)
° sugar to taste

° ½ -1 teaspoon basil seeds (optional), soaked and drained

° 750ml water, for cooking the glutinous rice balls

Method
1. To make syrup, add the water, pandan leaves, ginger and sugar to a pot. Bring to boil over medium heat and set aside.
2. To make dough, combine the flour and water in a mixing bowl. Mix well, knead into dough and divide into 2 equal portions. Add some red food colouring to one portion and knead well. Add some water if the dough is too dry or some flour if it is too watery. Divide the dough into smaller portions and shape it into a ball using your hand.
3. Bring 750ml of water to boil. Add in glutinous rice balls and return to boil. Remove water the glutinous rice balls with a slotted spoon as soon as they float to the surface. Transfer to the sugar syrup.
4. To serve, ladle the glutinous rice balls and syrup into individual serving bowls. Serve hot.

Black Glutinous Rice Dessert

This is a simple dessert and is not something new.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 60 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g black glutinous rice
° 8 dried longans
° 900ml water
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° sugar to taste
° 2-4 tablespoons thick coconut milk (optional)

Method
1. Wash the black glutinous rice and place in a bowl with enough water to cover. Leave to soak for 3 hours or more. Drain thoroughly.
2. Place the black glutinous rice, longan, water and pandan leaves in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until the glutinous rice is soften. Add in sugar.
3. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowl, drizzle 1 or 2 tablespoons coconut milk over it and serve.

Soy Dessert with Fruits

Ha...ha…, a 'No Cook' Dessert!

Just a bowl of Sweet Soy Dessert and toppled with some mango and pomegranate. That’s! Use any other type of fruits that you love.

Mango with Glutinous Rice

This is a Thai dessert. It is real easy that even a kid can do it. Usually, the glutinous rice is streamed but I opt for the easy way out – cook it using the rice cooker. The rest of the work is just peeling the mango using a fruit peeler and prepared the ‘no-cook’ sauce. To make it more interesting, just treat this dessert as a little art piece. It definitely tastes good, as glutinous rice plus coconut milk are the main ingredients used for some kueh recipes.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 1 (200g) ripe mango, peeled, sliced or diced
° 200g glutinous rice
° 200ml water
° 2 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds (optional)
° 4 longans (optional)
° few mint leaves (optional), for garnish

Coconut Sauce
° 75ml coconut milk
° ¾ teaspoon sugar, or to taste
° a little pinch of salt

Method
1. Wash the glutinous rice and place in a bowl with enough water to cover. Leave to soak for 3 hours or more. Drain thoroughly.
2. Place the glutinous rice, water and pandan leaves into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.
3. Meanwhile, to make the coconut sauce: combine the coconut milk, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.
4. When the glutinous rice is done, scoop into a little bowl or teacup and turn over on a serving plate. Pour few teaspoons of coconut sauce over the rice. Top with mango, longan, mint leaves and sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Finally, drizzle over a teaspoon of coconut sauce. Repeat for the rest.
5. Serve.

Cheng Tng Dessert

Sterculia Seeds with jelly-like masses expanding after soaking for awhile

I brought only 50g of sterculia seeds from the Chinese Medical Shop for the previous recipe and there are still lots of them left and decide to cook Cheng Tng. I used quite a lot of the sterculia seeds in this recipe as I like it very much, you may reduce if desired. My first try and it turns out well. You may even add fresh lotus seed, fresh gingko nuts, sweet potatoes, preserved persimmon or soaked agar agar strips to this dessert, if desired.

Preparation: 10 mins, plus 30 mins standing time, Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 12 dried longans, soaked
° 50g white jelly fungus (pre-soaked)
° 10-12 sterculia seeds/mollow nuts, lightly bruised
° 1 tablespoon Holland barley, soaked for 30 minutes
° 25g fresh lily bulb, trimmed and peeled
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 1 litre water
° rock sugar to taste

Method
1. Soak sterculia seed in ample water for 20-30 minutes until the flesh has expanded into a loose, jelly like mass. Peel off and discard the skin. Drain well.
2. Place dried longan, white jelly fungus, sterculia seed, barley, pandan leaves and water in a pot. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the barley is soft. Add in the rock sugar, lily bulb and bring to a boil.
3. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowls and serve hot or chilled.

Sweet Potatoes and Sterculia Seed Dessert

A plate of Sterculia Seeds/Pangdahai/Mollow Nuts before soaking

Sterculia Seed is known as Pangdahai or Boat Sterculia Seed or Semen Sterculiae Lychnopherae or Mollow Nuts. It is often found in Cheng Tng dessert and you can purchase it from the Chinese Medical Shop (known pang da hai, 100g for around $2.50). Sterculia Seed is good for clearing lungs, moistening throat, treating heaty phlegm, constipation and fever. I love this very much as it looks so elegant in the dessert with its loose jelly like mass floating around. For quick and easy cooking, I place all ingredients and bring to a boil. In fact, you can add sterculia seed and rock sugar at the later stage.

Preparation: 10 mins, plus 30 mins standing time, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
° 6-8 sterculia seeds/mollow nuts, lightly bruised
° 50g fresh lotus seed
° 6 dried longan, soaked
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 500ml-600ml water
° 1 slice ginger
° 50g rock sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Soak sterculia seed in ample water for 20-30 minutes until the flesh has expanded into a loose, jelly like mass. Peel off and discard the skin.
2. Place all the ingredients in a pot. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
3. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowls and serve hot or chilled.

Honeydew Sago Dessert

This is an easily made party dessert.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
° 300g honeydew (weight after peeling), cut into small cubes
° 75g sago pearls, rinse and soaked with plenty of water for 15mins, drained
° 750ml water
° 250ml coconut milk
° 100g sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Combine the sugar, water and bring to a boil. Stir in sago pearls and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until sago pearls are almost translucent with just a barest white fleck in the centre.
2. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Off the fire and leaves it to cool. Add in the honeydew.
3. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowls and serve chilled with ice.

Bubor Cha Cha

This is a simplified recipe for bubor cha cha. Usually, the sweet potato and yam are steamed and then added to the sugar syrup, follow by adding the coconut milk and a pinch of salt. To simplify the process, steaming is omitted, therefore just note that the sweet potato and yam should not be over boiled to avoid it being too mushy. For a lighter version of bubor cha cha, part of the coconut milk can be replaced with some unsweetened soy milk. Add some tapioca starch cubes, if desired.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 100g sweet potato, cut into small cubes
° 100g yam, cut into small cubes
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 375ml water
° sugar to taste
° 250ml fresh coconut milk (150ml coconut milk and 100ml unsweetened soy milk), chilled

Method
1. Place the sweet potatoes, yam, pandan leaves and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add in the sugar and bring to a boil. Stir in the coconut milk and off the heat
3. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowls. Serve hot or cold.

Tau Suan (Sticky Green Split Bean Dessert)

Here is a simple and easy dessert which is very nutritious as beans are rich source of B-complex vitamins, minerals calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc plus protein. Usually the green split bean (tau suan) is steamed and added to the sugar syrup which is thickened with starch. In here, to save energy and time, I skipped the steaming portion by adding to the other ingredients and bring to a boil.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 13 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g green split bean
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 750ml water
° 50g sugar or rock sugar , to taste
° 1 tablespoon potato starch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
° 1 chinese cruller, toasted and snip in bit-sized chunks

Method
1. Rinse and soak the green split bean for 1-2 hours.
2. Place the green split bean, pandan leaves and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 7-8 minutes and stir in the potato starch mixture. Add in the sugar and bring to a boil.
3. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowls, top with some Chinese cruller and serve hot.

Taro with Ginkgo Dessert (Orh Nee)

Thick and creamy sweet yam paste, a traditional Teochew dessert which is often cooked with lards and lots of shallot oil in the past. In the recipe, lards obviously are omitted and shallot oil is greatly reduced. Soy milk is used to make this dessert more nutritious and ginkgo nuts are used liberally. Other option is to use coconut milk and water, if desired. This is quite a simple dessert to make, with the help of the blender, it make the mashing work easier and the texture smoother.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
° 500g taro (weighed after peeling), peeled and diced
° 1 pack (75g) cooked ginkgo nuts, halved
° 250ml unsweetened soy milk or water
° 1-2 tablespoons shallot oil
° 4-5 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Stream the taro in a pot of boiling water or streamer for about 10-15 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well and coarsely mash taro in a container with a fork.
2. Transfer to mashed taro to a blender. Stir in the oil, sugar and blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Place the ginkgo nuts, soy milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir in the taro puree, stirring slowly over low heat and bring to a boil.
4. Ladle the taro paste into individual serving bowls and serve hot.

Glutinous Rice Ball with Green Tea Soy Milk Dessert

There are many way to make glutinous rice ball dessert, which is normally eaten on Winter Solstice, Chinese New Year or other occasions. Traditionally, it serves with clear sugar syrup which is boiled with ginger slices or pandan leaves. Now, you can have different variants – Green Tea Soy Milk or other flavour soy milk. It is so simple!

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 8 pieces glutinous rice ball (TangYuan)
° 500ml fresh soy milk (green tea flavour) or soy milk mix with matcha powder

Method
1. Bring fresh soy milk to a boil over low heat and set aside.
2. Cook glutinous rice ball following the packet instructions, drain and transfer to individual serving bowl.
3. Ladle the soy milk into the serving bowl and serves immediately.

Tip
1. Assorted glutinous rice ball can be used, if desired.

Muah Chee (Sesame Flavour)

This is another variant of Muah Chee by adding instant black sesame paste powder to the dough giving it another flavour.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 150g glutinous rice flour
° ½ sachet (25g) instant black sesame paste powder
° 280ml water
° 1 tablespoon sugar
° ½ tablespoon vegetable oil

Peanut Mixture
° 100g roasted peanuts powder
° 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Combine the flour, sesame paste powder, water, sugar and oil in bowl. Mix well.
2. Grease a heat-proof ware, pour in the muah chee mixture and steam for 10-15 minutes or until it turn gooey.
3. Meanwhile, to make the peanut mixture, combine the peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar in a plate. Set aside.
4. Scoop out the cooked muah chee dough and use a pair of scissors to snip into small nuggets and coat it with the peanut mixture.
5. Serve warm.

Muah Chee (A Traditional Sweet Snack)

Muah Chee, anyone? Muah Chee is a simple traditional snack or street food eaten throughout Southeast Asia. It is made of gooey rice dough cut into small nuggets and coated with finely crushed peanuts and sugar. In this recipe, I had added sesame seeds which may be grinded to be added to the peanut mixture. Usually, the cooked muah chee dough is keep warm and is coated with oil (shallot oil) to prevent it drying up. If you are to prepare it immediately, you can omit adding oil. Omit sugar in the muah chee mixture, if desired but it may be a bit bland.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 150g glutinous rice flour
° 250ml water
° 1 tablespoon sugar
° ½ tablespoon vegetable oil

Peanut Mixture
° 100g roasted peanuts powder
° 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
° 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Combine the flour, water, sugar and oil in bowl. Mix well.
2. Grease a heat-proof ware, pour in the muah chee mixture and steam for 10-15 minutes or until it turn gooey.
3. Meanwhile, to make the peanut mixture, combine the peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar in a plate. Set aside.
4. Scoop out the cooked muah chee dough and use a pair of scissors to snip into small nuggets and coat it with the peanut mixture.
5. Serve warm.

Green Bean and Holland Barley Soup

Another easy home-made sweet soup which very nutritious. If you prefer just green bean soup without the barely, just omit the barley. [Green bean in addition to being good for sore throat, it can quench thirst. Barley is good for soothing sore throats, long term consumption helps to promote healthy digestion and good skin.]

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 150g green bean
° 50g Holland barley or pearl barley
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 1.6 litres water
° rock sugar or sugar , to taste

Method
1. Rinse the green bean and Holland barley. Place all the ingredients and water in a pot or claypot. Soak for one hour or more.
2. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes or until the green beans are tender. Add in the sugar and bring to a boil.
3. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowls and serve.

Sweet Potatoes Soup

New Variant - with fresh lily bulbs and ginko nut added to Sweet Potatoes Soup

This is an easy home-made sweet soup. Besides, steaming sweet potatoes as a healthy snack, it can be used to boil to make a simple and delicious dessert. It is very nutritious, rich in dietary fiber as well as good source of vitamin A, C and B6.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 3)
° 150g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 6 red dates (optional)
° 1 litre water
° 1 slice ginger
° 35g rock sugar or sugar, to taste

Method
1. Place all the ingredients except sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add in the sugar and bring to a boil again.
2. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowls and serve.

Sago Pudding with Palm Sugar

This is a easily made party dessert.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (makes 8 pieces)
° 125g sago pearls, rinse and soaked with plenty of water for 15mins, drained
° 2 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 1 tablespoon sugar
° 1.5 litres water
° food colouring (optional)

Sauce
° 100-125g gula malaka (palm sugar), chopped
° 50ml water
° 250 ml coconut milk
° ¼ salt or to taste

Method
1. Combine pandan leaves, sugar and bring 1.5 litres water to a boil. Stir in sago pearls and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until sago pearls are almost translucent with just a barest white fleck in the centre.
2. Pour the content of the pot a fine-meshed sieve and drain off excess water. Immediately, spoon sago pearls into the moulds or cups, pressing lightly to pack them in. Let it cool, and chill for 1 hour or until fully set.
3. Combine chopped gula melaka with water in a small pot and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Strain into a serving jug and set aside.
4. In a clean pot, bring coconut milk with salt to a boil. Alternatively, sprinkle salt to coconut milk. Chill and set aside.
5. Serve sago pudding with gula melaka sauce and coconut sauce.

Tip
1. Add different food colouring to sago pudding, if desired.

Red Rubies Dessert

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 10-15 water chestnuts, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 2 litres water
° 100g sugar
° 250ml coconut milk, chilled
° 1 teaspoon red food colouring
° 4-5 tablespoons tapioca flour

Method
1. To make syrup, add 1 litre of water, sugar and pandan leaves to a pot, bring to boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool before refrigerating until chilled.
2. Add red food colouring to water chestnuts and mixed evenly.
3. Put tapioca flour into a container and add dyed water chestnuts. Cover the container with a lid and shake until water chestnuts are evenly coated with flour. Shake off any excess flour.
4. Bring 1 litre of water to boil. Add in dyed water chestnuts and return to boil.
5. Remove water chestnuts with a slotted spoon as soon as they float to the surface. Rinse water chestnuts with tap and transfer to a bowl of ice water.
6. To serve, spoon water chestnuts (red rubies) into each individual glass with 250ml of syrup with 60ml of chilled coconut milk. Add ice if desired.

Tip
1. Cooked red rubies can be soaked in a sugar solution to make it taste sweet, if desired.
2. Coconut milk, salt can be added to syrup, return to boil and remove from heat to cool.

Glutinous Rice Ball with Water Chestnut Dessert

Preparation: 15 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 1 pack of glutinous rice ball (TangYuan), 10-15 pieces
° 10-15 water chestnuts, peeled and cut into cubes
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 8 seedless red dates (optional)
° 1 thin slice of ginger
° 120g of sugar or rock sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Add water chestnuts, ginger, red dates, pandan leaves and water to a pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Discard pandan leaves.
2. Cook the glutinous rice ball following the packet instructions, drain and transfer to the water chestnut drink.

3. Serve hot.

Steamed Tapioca with sweetened Coconut Cream

Preparation: 35 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 400g tapioca, peeled
° 500ml coconut milk
° 4 pandan leaves (screwpine), tied into a knot
° 100g sugar

Method
1. Cut tapioca into 8cm lengths and quarter them lengthwise.
2. Steam tapioca for about 20 minutes or untill cooked. Remove and set aside.
3. Pour coconut milk, sugar and pandan leaves into a pot and bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.
4. Pour coconut milk over the warm tapioca. Serve hot.

Tip
1. If sweet potatoes is used, reduce sugar to 80g.
2. Either steam, bake or barbecue tapioca wrapped in aluminum foil.