Sweet Potato And White Fungus Soup 番薯糖水

Sweet Potato And White Fungus Soup 番薯糖水

Recipe source :  Nourishing Sweet Indulgence cookbook

Snow fungus or commonly called the white fungus contains lots of collagen. Its medicinal benefits are believed to be able to heal dry coughs and clear heat from lungs. In addition to improving skin complexion,  I was advised that its collagen content is very beneficial to knee caps and it helps to lubricate the cartilages around the knee caps of the ageing citizens. 

Old ginger is reputed to rid cold and "wind". Do not remove the skin from old ginger and do not undermine this little piece of old ginger. Because it really makes a difference to enhance the flavour of  this sweet soup.

Now, sweet potatoes, as we all know are good for our bowel movements. 

Combined together, they make an excellent sweet dessert which warms the heart and soul! 

Enjoy!

Ingredients

200g yellow sweet potatoes
200g orange sweet potatoes
50g old ginger
20g dried snow fungus, soaked until soft and tear into smaller pieces
2 litres water
200g cane rock sugar

 Orange sweet potatoes

 Yellow sweet potatoes

 Soaked snow fungus

Old ginger cut into halves and smacked with the back of a cleaver

Method

1.  Peel sweet potatoes and cut into small bite-sized pieces
2.  Cut the old ginger into halves and use the back of cleaver to smack it.
3.  Place old ginger, sweet potatoes and snow fungus into a medium-sized pot. Add in 2 litres of water and bring to a boil.
4.  Lower to medium heat and continue to simmer for about  30 minutes. Add in cane rock sugar and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

I am also linking this to Cook-Your-Book #12

 

Organised by Joyce of  Kitchen Flavours

Roast Sweet Potatoes 烤番薯

Roast Sweet Potatoes 烤番薯

Recipe source : Doris Choo of Sumptuous Flavours

Oh, I just got to share this. These sweet potatoes are simply awesome!. Just scrub them clean and put them into the oven to bake. The strong aroma emitting from the oven will tell you when the sweet potatoes are done!

My family has been feasting on these for the past few days!. In between baking cookies, the oven was stuffed with these sweet potatoes. You may think I am crazy! But let me assure you, they are really good! So sweet, naturally sweet and so very fragrant, especially when it is still warm. But  then you really must find varieties which are good and check that outwardly they are blemish-free.

These hot potatoes brought back memories of us eating freshly roasted sweet potatoes bought from the night market during one cold winter in Taichung, Taiwan. The vendors baked the sweet potatoes in large metal drums using charcoal. I remember we were able to eat them while still very hot because we were freezing at the night market! It felt so good to hold the hot roasted potatoes in our palm in the freezing cold!

How to choose fresh sweet potatoes

If the sweet potatoes feel rock hard when you press them, then they are fresh. Those that are past their prime usually have a soft feel to it and are slightly wrinkled. Also, check both ends of the sweet potatoes to make sure they are not soft and wrinkled.

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes, any reasonable amount.

The red-skinned ones have yellow flesh, 

while the orange-skinned ones have orange flesh. Both varieties were imported from Indonesia and I bought them from NSK trade city, Selayang.

Method

1.  Scrub the sweet potatoes with a brush.
2.  Cut of the wilted ends.
3.  Bake or grill in a hot oven at 220 degree C
4.  Baking time depends on the size of the sweet potatoes. For me, I used between 20 to 30 minutes on each side.
5.  Use a skewer or chopstick to pierce the sweet potato. If it goes through easily, then it is done.
6.  Anyway the awesome smell emitting from the sweet potatoes more or less tells you when it is done! 

Simply awesome!

Naturally sweet and so very fragrant!

Eat them while they are still warm

Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling With Red Bean Paste 紫红豆沙粿

Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling With Red Bean Paste 紫红豆沙粿

Recipe source :  Adapted from - Authentic Chinese Dumpling cookbook


Again, I was in a bind while making this purple dumpling, the recipe calls for a turtle-shaped mould which I do not have but since I have others I resorted to improvise and used a square one instead. As a result I have to make changes to the Chinese name as well.

 

Ingredients for dough

250g glutinous rice flour
1 tbsp wheat starch
1 tbsp castor sugar
3 tbsp cooking oil
300g purple sweet potato
150 ml boiling water                  
80 ml water                                

Filling 

300g  red bean paste

 

Red bean paste

Instructions to make the dumpling

1.  Peel the sweet potato and cut into pieces, steam over boiling water until the sweet potatoes are soft. Dish up and mash them into a smooth paste.
2.  In a mixer, add the glutinous rice flour, sweet potato paste, sugar, cooking oil. Remember to add in boiling water and the extra water at room temperature.
3.  Knead until a soft dough is formed.
4.  Divide the purple dough into small portions, depending on the size of your mould. Cover them with  a wet cloth.
5.  Divide the red bean paste into same equal number of portions as the dough. Roll the red bean paste into small round balls. Set aside for later use.
6.  Roll out a portion of the purple dough and flatten to make a small circle. Wrap a ball of red bean paste. Seal the edges. 
7.  Press the small dumpling into a mould which has been sprinkled with flour.
8.  Press gently to make the impression and then knock out the imprinted dumpling.
9.  Place onto a greased steaming tray.
10.  Repeat process until all dough and red bean paste are used up.
11.  Steam over high heat for about 7 minutes.
12.  Brush with oil immediately upon removing from the steamer.

 Raw purple sweet potato

 The skin remained soft and tasty even after several hours 

Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling 菜香寿粿

Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling 菜香寿粿

Recipe source :  Adapted from Authentic Chinese Dumpling cookbook

I was caught in a fix when I tried out this recipe to make the purple skin dough. The flour could not bind. All the ingredients were supposed to mix together to form a soft dough but that did not happen. I must have missed out an ingredient or misread the instructions.

I must find a way to make the dough. I could not afford to throw away all the ingredients already spread out on the table. So, I just took a calculated risk and added 150 ml of boiling water to the flour mix and kept my fingers crossed! There was much improvement. The flour started to bind. Feeling encouraged, I added 80 ml more water and started kneading until I got a soft dough. Viola! I finally got myself a purple dough ! I did not follow the filling as per the recipe and on top of that I did not have the proper mould as shown in the cookbook and I resorted to do it my own way.

Ingredients for dough

250g glutinous rice flour
1 tbsp wheat starch
1 tbsp castor sugar
3 tbsp cooking oil
300g purple sweet potato
150 ml boiling water                  
80 ml water                                 

Ingredients for filling

450g radish ( shredded )
150g minced pork
3 shitake mushrooms ( diced )
30g dried scallops ( soaked and shredded )
20g black fungus ( soaked and shredded )
2 shallots ( chopped )
2 tbsp cooking oil
200 ml water

Seasonings

1 tbsp castor sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2  tsp pepper

Instructions to cook the filling

1. Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil until hot. Saute the chopped shallots.

2. Add in the diced mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add in the minced pork and shredded black fungus. Mix everything evenly.

3. Toss in the shredded radish and dried scallops. Mix well.

4. Add in seasoning and water and cook until the radish are tender and quite dry.

5. Dish up and leave to cool.

Instructions to make the dumpling

1.  Peel the sweet potato and cut into pieces, steam over boiling water until the sweet potatoes are soft. Dish up and mash them into a smooth paste.
2.  In a mixer, add the glutinous rice flour, sweet potato paste, sugar, cooking oil. Remember to add in boiling water and the extra water at room temperature.
3.  Knead until a soft dough is formed.
4.  Divide the dough into small portions and roll out into round circles.
5.  Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the dough and wrap up and seal the edges.
6.  Adjust the semicircle and make it "sit" on its base with the edges pointing upwards.
7.  Place it on a greased steaming tray.
8.  Repeat the process until the rest are completed.
9.  Steam over high heat for about 8 minutes.
10. Brush with oil immediately after steaming.

Purple sweet potato

 

Ready for steaming

Brush with oil immediately after steaming

Long Bean & Orange Sweet Potato Dumpling 豆角番薯粿

Long Bean & Orange Sweet Potato Dumpling 豆角番薯粿

 Recipe source : Adapted from Authentic Chinese Dumpling cookbook


The colour is all natural from the orange sweet potatoes. The skin dough is soft and spongy while the long beans and minced pork give a crunchy texture to the filling. SK and I both find it delicious. But we have adapted the recipe to suit our taste. All in all we are very happy with this orange-hued dumpling. My mind is already working overtime, thinking of the possibilities of what filling to make next. 

Ingredients for the dough

110g orange sweet potato
100g glutinous flour
150g tapioca flour
250g boiling water ( use less water, about 150g is enough, otherwise the dough becomes very sticky ) 
1 tbsp cooking oil

Ingredients for the filling

120g minced pork
200g long beans ( diced )
20g carrot ( diced )
1 tbsp garlic ( chopped )
100 ml water
2 tbsp cooking oil

Seasonings

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp oyster sauce
dash of pepper
1 tsp cornflour

 Top : long beans
Middle :  a section of carrot
Bottom : orange sweet potatoes

 The prepared filling ready for wrapping

Instructions to cook the filling

1.  Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil until hot. Saute the chopped garlic until fragrant.

2.   Add in minced pork. Stir-fry briskly over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

3.  Add long beans and carrots. Toss well to mix evenly.

4.  Add water and seasoning and bring to the boil over high heat.

5.  Keep stirring until the water is almost dried up.

6.  Remove from heat and leave to cool. 

Instructions to make the dumpling

1.  Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small pieces.

2.   Steam over high heat over boiling water until soft and tender.

3.  Mash into a smooth paste while still very hot. Set aside.

4.  In a mixer, add glutinous flour, tapioca flour and sweet potatoes.

5.  Add boiling water and cooking oil. Mix until a dough is formed. Knead until smooth.

6.  Flatten dough with a rolling pin and use a Chinese rice bowl to cut circles from the rolled out dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth.

7.  Spoon 1 tbsp of filling onto the cut-out circle of dough and wrap into a semi-circle. Seal the edges.

8.  Bring both ends of the semi-circle together and pinched the tips to form a pouch-shaped.

9.  Place onto a greased steaming tray and steam over boiling water at high heat for about 8 minutes. 

10. Brush oil over the steamed dumplings immediately upon removing from the steamer. 
11.  Ready to serve.

 Pretty little dumplings