Tong Sui – Sweet Desserts

I’m a huge fan of tong sui (sweet desserts) which the Cantonese are so fond of. However, I only like the clear types, not those saturated with coconut milk.

One of my favourites is this clear tong sui Mom taught us. It’s filled with snow fungus which is supposed to be good for your health and barley seeds which are good for cooling down in this hot weather.

You Need:

• A big handful of dried snow fungus, washed and soaked in water to soften
• Barley seeds
• Red dates
• Dried longan
• Rock sugar
• Pandan leaves, if any

Makes 1 medium sized pot

How to:

1. Clean and soak the dried snow fungus in some water. Don’t use too much as it expands into quite a bit! Once it’s soft, cut it up into small bite-sized pieces.
2. Put the barley seeds and pandan leaves to boil in about 1 medium sized pot of water. Skim the foam that collects at the top of the pot.
3. Throw in a handful of red dates for sweetness and taste.
4. Once it has boiled, turn the flame down to simmer and watch the barley seeds to make sure they don’t expand till they “explode”.
5. Add your rock sugar to taste.
6. When the barley seeds are cooked, add in your snow fungus and simmer just for a short while then turn off the flame.
7. Add your dried longan and stir it through.
8. And it’s ready!

For variations, you can add pre-cooked gingko nuts or lotus seeds or anything else you wish. It’s tummy-warming when eaten hot or very refreshing eaten cold. Enjoy!

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