Cheng Tng 清汤 (1)

The weather had been seriously humid and I am already feeling that the yin and yang imbalance.  My digestion is also affected so decided to make a pot of this to cool off the body.

It is hard to come by authentic Cheng Tng 清汤, many dessert stalls use the shortcut method and add 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 compile in this recipe.

Then again, you can adjust the following ingredients to your liking but I would say this list of ingredients is 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 all these in Sheng Siong Supermarket.

Source: Here

What 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 water

Method:

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 a boil.

Add in white fungus and continue to simmer over low heat for 15 mins.

Soak Pang Da Hai in warm water until the seeds split open, and remove the outer shells and all the stems.  Only want the soft jelly substance.  Discard water and set it 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 the 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!