Sweet potato soup with chendol cubes

Just when I am about to write this, my father commented that the soup is too dark! *LOL*

The brown sugar is from Malacca which tells why the sugar is exceptionally black.

I first fall in love with the chendol cubes when my mum first made this dessert. It is S$1.20 from the market and comes with multi-color. It reminds me of gemstone and thus making this dessert very attractive. The cubes are actually tapioca flour that has been colored and mould into cubes.

I used Japanese sweet potatoes and surprisingly tastes soft and good.

I love brown sugar, love it in ondeh-ondeh, love it in putu-piring, love it in brown sugar mochi and also love it in tang yuan 汤圆. I also love chendol from Malacca.

Barley with gingko nuts (Hong Kong style)

Ingredients : soya bean milk, sugar, barley, pandan leaves (screw pines), bean curd sheets (for desserts) & gingko nuts.

Bean curd sheets and gingko nuts should be added last.

Ideally the center of the gingko nuts should be removed to remove the bitter taste. A person can only eat up to 15 gingko nuts, else he will experience nauseous after eating too much (is a sign of poisoning)

I understand the best gingko nuts is from Japan.

Stewed asian pear with white fungus and apricot kernels 南杏北杏

This is traditionally a Cantonese dessert. Pear, white fungus and apricot kernels is said to invigorate lungs and thus is good for those who suffers from cough.

White fungus is said to contain the same nutritional properties as bird nest and therefore it is also known as "poor man's bird nest". White fungus is good for the skin as it contains collagen. The best way to get white fungus is to get from Traditional Chinese Medicine shops as they will tell you the different grades of white fungus. The better ones are softer.

White fungus need to be soak for at least two hours to make it soft.

Ingredients : Asian pear, white fungus, apricot kernels and rock sugars.