It is hard to come by authentic Cheng Tng 清汤, many dessert stalls use the short cut method and adding unnecessary stuff inside. When my son was really young, he took his phonic lesson from one of the houses in Bedok and thus this Cheng Tng stall was our to go to nearly every week. So I am taking that as a benchmark and found this recipe.Then again, you can adjust the following ingredients to your liking but I would say this list of ingredients are a good guide to an authentic Cheng Tng 清汤.
Please note that Pang Da Hai 胖大海 is very cooling and not suitable for pregnant woman. A tsp of it before serving is sufficient.You can buy this in Sheng Siong Supermarket.
Source: HereWhat you need:
50g pearl barley 薏米25g white fungus 白银耳20g lotus seeds 莲子50g dried longan 桂圆80g gingko nuts, ready cooked 白果6 red dates 红枣4 – 5 seeds of Pang Da Hai 胖大海 (also known as Sterculia lychnophora)2 pcs of dried persimmon, cut into thin slices柿饼Cane sugar to taste甘蔗糖 (I used two slabs)2 knots of pandan leaves班兰叶2.8l of waterMethod:Soak white fungus and dried lotus seeds separately in hot water for 10 mins to soften. Trim white fungus into small buds and remove the hard stem. Set aside.For the lotus seed, remove the pith to prevent the bitter taste. It is toxic if you consume too much of the pith too.
Rinse pearl barley and add in the 1.8 l of water. Bring to boil.Add in white fungus and continue to simmer over low heat for 15 mins.Soak Pang Da Hai in warm water unti the seeds split open, remove the outer shells and all the stem. Only want the soft jelly substance. Discard water and set aside.Add in lotus seeds, dried logan, red dates and gingko nuts with pandan leaves and cook another 20 mins until all the ingredients soften.Add cane sugar to taste. Turn off heat.Before serving, add in Pang Da Hai and dried persimmon.Serve either warm or cold.
I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #11 Sept 2014 : Singapore hosted by Life can be Simple.
Cheers!
