'Six-taste' Sweet Dessert Soup （六味糖水）

Nowadays, cooking made easy.  When come to Chinese herb soup, i always buy the pre-measured packaged ingredients as i do not really know how much to get for each ingredients.  I have brought few packages with me to State knowing that it's hard to find here and if we can find, it's much more expensive.
 

'six-taste' soup ingredients (六味汤料）

I recently learnt that this 'Six-taste' (六味) ingredients that i always cook as a savory soup can be prepared in sweet dessert soup as well.  I first tasted this sweet dessert soup was in my mother-in-law's place and i called it 'egg dessert soup'.  I asked my hubby recently bout that egg soup as i want to try prepare it, i was told that it's '六味糖水' (direct translate as 'six-taste' sweet dessert soup).

Ingredients:

• 2500ml water
• 1 package of 'six-taste' (六味) soup ingredients (wash & drain well)
• 1-2 rock sugars
• eggs (i put 4 eggs, 1 each for my family members)

Steps:

1. Boil the eggs in a pot of boiling water till cook, peeled off the shells and put aside
2. Bring the water to boil in another pot
3. Add the 'six-taste' (六味) soup ingredients and continue boiling for 15-20mins
4. Reduce the heat to medium low, add eggs and simmer for 1.5 hrs.  Cover the lid during the simmer process, stirring occasionally
5. Add in sugar, stir and cook till the sugar dissolved
6. Ladle into bowls and serve hot/warm. 

Sweet Potato Dessert Soup (蕃薯糖水）

Soup, is part of most Chinese diet, be it a savory soup that served together with lunch/dinner, or a sweet soup served for dessert.  Sweet soup is another alternative of nourishment to many Chinese. 

I tried to prepare a sweet soup/dessert every alternate week for my family and i usually prepare it on Friday, a great treat for the weekend.  This easy to prepare Sweet Potato Dessert Soup is one of which that i prepared.

Ingredients:

• 2500ml water
• 2 sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup Tapioca Pearl (Sago - 西米露)

Steps:

1. Soak the Tapioca Pearl with clean water in a bowl
2. Bring the water to boil in a pot
3. Add the sweet potatoes and continue boiling for 15mins
4. Reduce the heat to medium low after 15mins and simmer for 1.5 hrs.  Cover the lid during the simmer process, stirring occasionally
5. Add in sugar, stir and cook till the sugar dissolved
6. Add in the Tapioca Pearl and continue cook for another 15-20mins
7. Ladle into bowls and serve hot/warm.  To serve cold, allow it to cool in the pot, then keep it in the fridge till serving time.

Notes:

• Water can be added during the cooking process according to personal preference on the ratio between the sweet potato and the water.

Banana-Strawberry Cream Cheese Trifle

If you have left-over cream cheese frosting at home and not sure what to do about it, try to make a Trifle - a great idea that i learnt from a friend (SY) previously. 

This time, i made used of my left-over cream cheese frosting for a Banana-Strawberry Trifle.  Why banana-strawberry?  Simple, because i've many ripe bananas at home too... ;P 

I baked a banana cake, arranged the strawberry slices around a dessert cup, then made a two layers of banana cake with cream-cheese frosting, banana & strawberry slices, top with graham cracker pieces for a finishing, refrigerated for 2 hours before served. 

This made a great after meal dessert or a lovely treat for an afternoon tea time.  My two little girls just can't have enough of this.  :)

Strawberry VanilaChocolateCake Trifle

Thanks to a friend (SY) for sharing a sweet treat with us last week, inspired me on how to make good use of the left over cream cheese frosting in my fridge. 

I mimic her lemon strawberry trifle to come out with this Strawberry Vanila-Chocolate Cake Trifle.  

I made a mini vanila-chocolate cake with raisin, layered them with cream cheese frosting & strawberry, garnish with assorted nuts & raisin, then sprinkle a dash of cocoa powder on top.    

Mini vanila-chocolate cake

My two little lovers were having fun involved in making their own Trifle as well.  My 5yrs old made an additional one and she said: "Daddy is not home, i made one for him to eat when he is back".  So sweet, huh... :)

Trifle prepared by my little lovers

The two girls added a little sweet to their trifle by topping them with the gummy bear. ;P 

White Fungus Sweet Soup/Dessert (雪耳凊润糖水）

Last weekend, i made this white fungus (also commonly known as snow ear fungus) sweet soup/dessert. 

Besides it's tasty, many Chinese believe that this after meal soup dessert is nourishing especially for the lungs (soothing purposes like clearing heat in the lungs and relieve from dry coughs) as well as helps on anti-aging. 

It is said that white fungus's collagen content is comparable to bird's nest and in view of it's cheaper, it has been considered by many Chinese as a good alternate for bird nests. 

  
Ingredients:

• 2.5L of water
• 3/4 cup of white sugar (or use ~ 30g rock sugar if you have)
• 2 or 3 pieces of dried white fungus/snow ear fungus (雪耳）
• 1/4 cup dried Lotus Seed (莲子） 
• 1/4 cup dried Lilli bulbs (百合）
• A handful of dried Longan (龙眼肉） 

Steps:

• Soak snow ear fungus in water for 30min-1hr until softened.  Discard water and trim the firm part from its bottom 
• Wash & rinse all the other ingredients under running water
• Bing the water to a boil in a pot
• Add in all the ingredients (except sugar), cook and simmer for about 2 hours
• Add in the sugar and continue simmer for another 15-30min
• Serve hot or cold by putting it in the refrigerator

   

Banana Split on a Sunny Afternoon

~  蓝天白云的下午，來个“香蕉船”，感觉超棒！~

It's spring now and the weather was so beautiful today, sunny day with clear blue sky & breeze, having a bowl of banana split just hits the spot. 

Girls enjoying good weather in the park

This simple and easy to put together banana split is my girls all time favorite, they will always jumped high & low whenever i prepare this for their afternoon tea time.  

Well, this might not look like the usual way of how we see a banana split, i just arrange it to accommodate the bowl that i have.  :P 

Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 bananas, peeled and split lengthwise
• 1 or 2 scoops of ice-cream
• A handful of raisin, assorted nuts, M&Ms candy
• 1 strawberries (sliced or whole)

Steps:

• Place banana in a dessert dish/bowl
• Place scoops of ice-cream between banana
• Add the strawberries
• Sprinkle the raisin, nuts & M&Ms on top
• Serve immediately...YUM YUM!

A Sweet Treat for the Weekend

How bout ending a week with some sweet treat?  Serve hot or cold, this Red Bean Longan Sago 'tong sui' is equally delicious and is a perfect dessert to relax for a weekend, after a long week of activities.  The best part of all, it's so simple to prepare!

Ingredients:

• 2700ml water
• 1 1/4 cup red  beans
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup longans
• 1/4 cup Tapioca Pearl (Sago - 西米露)

Steps:

1. Wash red beans, drains & put aside
2. Soak the Tapioca Pearl with clean water in a bowl
3. Add the red bean in a pot of water & bring the water to boil
4. Reduce the heat to medium low flame after 15mins and simmer for 2hrs.  Cover the lid during the simmer process, stirring occasionally
5. Add the Longan after 1.5hrs and return boil under medium high heat for another 20mins  
6. Add in sugar and continue to boil till the sugar dissolved, about 10mins
7. Add in the Tapioca Pearl and continue boil for another 15-20mins
8. Ladle into bowls and serve hot/warm.  To serve cold, allow it to cool in the pot, then keep it in the fridge till serving time

Notes:

• Soak the red beans with the water before putting into boiling water or increase the cooking time if prefer a more soften red beans.
• Water can be added during the cooking process according to personal preference on the ratio between the red beans and the water.

Mini Fruit Platter

Mini Fruit Platter

Today, I prepared this simple treat for my two little lovers as thier afternoon snack after their milk, i called it the mini fruit platter.  This is quick to prepare with less than 15min. 


This is how the Mini Fruit Platter were being served to my two little lovers


As usual, anything unsual always draws the girls' excitement and there is no exception to this one.  The girls were so excited to find out what was inside their mini treasure chest when these were served to them.  :)

Ingredients:

• 1 Orange
• Grapes (sliced)
• Strawberries (sliced)
• Raisins
• Nuts
• Cereals

Steps:

• Cut the orange in half and remove the orange from the shell
• Chop the orange in small pieces
• Put the sliced grapes, strawberries and orange pieces inside the orange shell
• Add in the raisins & nuts on the orange shell
• Add some cereals on a serving plate and place the mini fruit platter on top

I added 2 M&M candies as well and garnished the serving plate with some seasoned roasted seaweed to get my two lillte lovers even excited.  They were so happy with it.  ;P