Black Sesame Soup

Yesterday my daughter showed me a box of pre-mixed black sesame soup that she bought in a Chinese grocery store. I find it rather amusing as I used to serve this sweet soup as a snack when they were young. This sweet dessert is made with black sesame seeds that is rumored to help prevent gray hair. It is a popular Chinese dessert in Hong Kong and many parts of Asia. It can be served warm or cold.
Ingredients:
1 cup toasted black sesame seeds
1 cup long or short grain rice, rinsed and soaked for at least 2 hrs.
6-8 cups of water
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
2 pieces screwpine/pandan leaves

Method:
1. In a non-stick frying pan, fry the sesame seeds on medium low heat for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and pan begins to smoke. Remove and cool completely.
2. Drain the rice and blend with enough water until mixture is smooth. Remove and clean blender. Repeat this process with the black sesame seeds until mixture is a grayish paste and free from lumps.
3. In a large pot, add the grinded ingredients, pandan leaves and sugar. Stir to mix and bring to a boil on high heat. Lower heat to medium, stirring the mixture until it thickens slightly.
4. Add in sugar and butter to mixture and more water if mixture get to thick. Simmer for another 15 minutes until mixture is smooth, season to taste with sugar if needed. Remove pandan leaves before serving.
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Sweet Soup with Lotus Seeds, Dates, & Longans

This is a specialty dish of the Straits-Born Chinese (Peranakan) to serve on any auspicious event, such as wedding or Chinese New Year. It is served as a dessert to the newly married couple for prosperity and good luck.
Ingredients:

½ cup dried longans, rinsed and drained

½ cup dried lotus seeds, rinsed and drained

¼ cup dried red dates, seeds removed

¼ cup light brown sugar (per taste)

1 piece pandan leaf

4 cups water

Method:

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add the dried fruits, pandan leaf and sugar and bring to a simmer after a fast boil. Cook until the dried fruits has swell and double in size, but not too soft. Serve warm in individual bowls.
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Sweet Potato and Yam in Coconut Cream/Bubor Cha Cha

Bubor Cha Cha is a popular Nyonya dessert in Malaysia. It can be served both warm or cold. There are many variations to the recipe, but the key ingredients are: sweet potatoes, yam/taro, and tapioca simmered in rich coconut milk. The other optional ingredients that can be added are colorful cooked starch, or bananas. Here's how I like mine.

Ingredients(A):
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes.
1 medium sized yam, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
Ingredients (B)
2 cans coconut cream/milk
2 pieces cane sugar, or 1/2 cup light brown, or plain sugar
3-4 fragrant pandan leaves (screwpine)
1/4 cup tapioca pearl, presoaked in water (optional)
 a pinch of salt

Coloured Cooked Starch (This is a abit messy to make, but it is really nice as it has a springy texture)
4 oz. tapioca flour/starch
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup boiling water
red, yellow, and green food coloring
Method:
1. Bring water to boil on high in a steamer, add in ingredients A and steam for 15-20 minutes until cook but not soft or mushy. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Colored starch: Put tapioca flour, salt in a bowl, then pour in boiling water and stir well. The water must be boiling hot in order to pre-cook the starch. Stir to mix, the texture will resembles like white crumbs. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Mix and knead mixture into a non-stick dough. Divide dough into portions, and color with food coloring. On a lightly floured board, roll each portion into a long strip and cut into small pieces diagonally to resemble a triangle. There is no strict rule to the shapes and size to this dough.
4. Filled a pot of water halfway to a boil, and add in the cut starch and cook till it floats up. Dish up and dip in ice water to keep it from further cooking.

5. In a large pot mix together 1 and 1/2 cans of coconut milk with enough water to make about 6-7 cups of water. Add the pandan leaves, 2 pieces of cane sugar (if used), salt and bring to a boil. Cook until the sugar has dissolved completely, season to taste for sweetness.

6. Stir in the yam, sweet potatoes, and cooked starch and simmer for about a minute. Lastly stir in the rest of the coconut milk, add sliced bananas (if used) and give it a good stir. Do not overcook the coconut milk. Remove the fragrant leaves and turn off heat. Serve hot or cold.
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