Soup -- Magic Soup for Beauty and Youth!

    

    This is one of my favourite Chinese dessert that's so easy to prepare within minutes. Whenever I crave for something sweet, light, guilt-free and hassle-free, this is it. It is simply a concoction of sweet potatoes and dried longans. I add some sliced ginger to give the zing, which helps 'spice' up the dessert.

Features and functions:

Longan is common fruit in Asia grown in temperatures no less than 4.5 deg C. Driged longan is used in making Chinese desserts. They are dried and dark brown and expands when boiled in water. It is sweet and is known to have an effect on relaxation. Dried longan helps to cure insomnia, tonifies qi, moistens yin and expels heat.

Sweet potato is a wonderfully versatile root vegetable fruit that can be prepared and consumed in many ways. It can be eaten steamed, baked as a cake, eaten french fried, a dessert in either Chinese or Western styles. It is a good source Vitamin C, potassium, beta carotene and folic acid among others.

Ingredients:

500g Sweet Potatoes

20 Dried Longan

1 inch Ginger, sliced

3 Pandan leaves

Seasonings:

Water

Rock Sugar, to taste

Time:

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Yield: serves about 4

Here is cooking Instruction for this Sweet Potato Recipe:

Ÿ   Wash, peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Add immediately into a pot with about 4 cups of water in it.

Ÿ   Add sliced Ginger and washed Pandan leaves (tied in a knot) to the pot. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer for about 25 minutes (or until the sweet potatoes are soft).

Ÿ   During the last 15 minutes cooking time, add the dried longan meats into a small saucepan with some water (just enough to cover the longan). Boil and simmer for about 5 minutes until the fruits are soft. Pour all into the main pot during the last 5 minutes and cook together.

Ÿ   Add rock sugar to taste.

Ÿ   Serve warm.

Sweet Potato Cooking Tip:

You can use whatever colour sweet potatoes you like. However, if you are also using the purple colour type, add them into the soup only during the last 15 minutes as they soften faster.

Enjoy your homemade flavor!

Remember: Cooking time would be slightly varied between different cooking wares.