Thai Style Syrup Tapioca

Ingredient A
- 1kg tapioca
- 1.5 litres water
- 400g sugar
- 5 pieces pandan leaves

Ingredient B
- 500ml thick coconut milk
- 200ml water
- 4 tbsp rice flour
- 1 tsp salt

Directions
1. Clean the tapioca, peel & cut into small portions.
2. Place tapioca into a pot. Add water, pandan leaves & sugar to cook with the tapioca for 20 minutes.
3. Cook ingredients B, pour over tapioca. Serve.

Cheng Teng

Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 25 dried longan meat (soaked & set aside)
- 8 red dates
- 50g white fungus (washed, break into small pieces & soaked overnight)
- 2 tablespoon lotus seed (halved, removed dirt in core, soaked overnight)
- 10 sterculia seeds/mollow nuts, lightly bruised
- 1 tablespoon Holland barley (soaked for 30 minutes)
- 25g fresh lily bulb, trimmed and peeled
- 4 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
- 1 litre water
- rock sugar to taste
- 50g large tapioca pearls, cooked with 500ml water (optional)

Method
1. Soak sterculia seed in ample water for 20-30 minutes until the flesh has expanded into a loose, jelly like mass. Peel off and discard the skin. Drain well.
2. Place all ingredients (except lily bulb, sago & rock sugar) and water in a pot.
3. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the barley is soft.
4. Add in the rock sugar, lily bulb, sago and bring to a boil.
5. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowls and serve hot or chilled.

Tapioca Pearls (Sago)

Ingredients
- 250g sago
- 1750ml water

Methods
1. Boil the water in a large stockpot. The larger the stockpot, the better.
2. Add pearls to the boiling water. Boil for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until they are soft and give no resistance when chewed.
3. Turn off fire. Let the tapioca pearls sit for 30 minutes with the cooking lid on.
4. Then, drain the pearls and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear.
5. Place pearls into desired container. Add sugar syrup solution to cover the tapioca pearls.
6. The solution prevents the pearls from sticking to each other.
7. Alternatively, honey can be used instead of sugar syrup.
8. Wait a few minutes for the pearls to absorb the sweetness of the sugar solution.
9. Your tapioca pearls are now ready to serve. Add them to your favorite drink and enjoy!

Yam Paste with Pumpkin and Ginkgo Nuts

Ingredients (for paste)
- 500g Skinned Yam, cubed
- 50-60g Caster Sugar
- 30ml Vegetable/Fried Shallot Oil

Directions (for paste)
1. Steam yam for 30 minutes or until soften before mashing.
2. Heat oil in a wok, then add mashed yam and sugar.
3. Stir well and cook over low heat until not sticky.

Ingredients (for toppings)
- 20-25 Vacuum Pack Gingko Nuts
- 1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar
- 2 Water Chestnuts, grated
- 100g-150g Skinned Pumpkin, cubes
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Coconut Cream

Directions (for toppings)
1. Wash and pat dry the gingko nuts then marinate it with 1 tablespoon of caster sugar for about 10 minutes.
2. Steam the pumpkin cubes over medium heat for about 15 - 20 minutes until soft then mash it using a fork and set aside.
3. Scoop cooked yam paste into a bowl or plate with depth then arrange the sugar gingko nut around it and place the mashed pumpkin in the middle and top with grated water chestnut.
4. Steam it for 15 minutes then drizzle the coconut cream on top and steam for another 5 minutes on medium heat.
5. Serve either hot or warm.

Notes
a) If you prefer sweet taste then add more sugar or else you can reduce the sugar amount.
b) You can either used those vacuum pack gingko nuts found in leading supermarket or you can used those dried type one.
c) You can omit the pumpkin and water chestnut if you don't prefer them.

Bubor Terrigu (椰浆大麦露)

Ingredients
- 150g Terrigu (大麦)
- 90g Rock Sugar
- 100g Palm Sugar
- 100ml Thick Coconut Milk
- Pandan Leaves
- 50ml Water
- Pinch Of Salt

Directions
1. Soak the terrigu for at least 3 - 4 hours with plently of water. Discard the water.
2. Boil the rock sugar, palm sugar in 50ml of water until sugar melts, sift and set aside.
3. Put coconut milk and salt in a saucepan, simmer over low heat and set aside to cool as topping.
4. Fill a large pot with 1.2 litres of water and add pandan leaves and bring to boil.
5. Add the terrigu, switch to low heat and cook the terrigu until tender and keep stirring to prevent mixture from sticking to the pot. (use non-stick pan is better)
6. Add water if mixture goes too dry, keep stirring and lastly add sugar syrup and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. For a thicker mixture, mix 1 tablespoon plain flour with 2 tablespoons water, stir in and bring to boil again over low heat and remove from heat.
8. Scoop terrigu into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of coconut milk and serve.

Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients
- 1 Sweet Potato, cubes
- 10 Fresh Gingko Nut (白果)
- 10 Dried Longans (桂圆肉)
- 2 Fresh Lily Bulbs (鲜百合)
- 6 Sterculia Seeds (胖大海)
- 2 Slices Ginger
- Some Pandan Leaves

Directions
1. Soak the Sterculia Seeds in large bowl with some warm water until the seeds burst out with brown jelly like substances.
2. Wash the Fresh Gingko nut and marinate it with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
3. Wash and peel the Lily bulbs then soak in some water to remove the dirt.
4. Wash, peel and cut the sweet potato into small cubes.
5. Bring a pot of water (about 1 litre) to boil then add in all the ingredients, turn to low heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft.
6. Add some some rock sugar to taste then serve warm.

Notes
Sterculia Seeds can be bought at most Chinese Medical Hall.

Bubor Cha Cha

Ingredients
- 100g sweet potato (cubed)
- 100g yam (cubed)
- 2 pandan leaves (tied into knots)
- 300g white grated coconut
- 180ml water
- 75ml water
- 75ml boiling water
- 50g sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 100g fine sago flour
- a few drops of different food colouring (optional)

Directions
1. Steam sweet potato and yam for 5 minutes till cooked.
2. Boil pandan leaves and sugar in 75ml water for 10 minutes.
3. Allow pandan juice to cool then strain into bowl. Set aside.
4. Put grated coconut in muslin bag and squeeze out about 50ml coconut milk (A).
5. Add 180ml water to grated coconut then squeeze out 180ml coconut milk (B).
6. Boil pandan juice with coconut milk (B), stirring constantly.
7. Pour in coconut milk (A) and stir in salt.
8. Remove from heat and stir occasionally to prevent curdling.
9. Sift sago flour into large bowl. Stir in 75ml boiling water.
10. Knead over lightly floured table to form smooth, fine dough.
11. Divide into desired number of portions, then evenly blend a different colour into each portion (omit food colouring for some if you like).
12. Roll out each portion of dough then cut into small pieces.
13. Boil in water, stirring constantly till they float to surface. Remove and refresh in cold water for at least 5 minutes.
14. Drain and transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoon sugar to prevent lumping.
15. Place 1 tablespoon each of sweet potatoes, yam and sago dough in bowls.
16. Pour in syrup. Serve hot or cold.

Chocolate Tang Yuen

Ingredients
- 300g glutinous rice flour
- Water
- 1 bar of dark chocolate

Syrup
- 1 piece gula melaka
- 5 pieces pandan leaves (knotted)
- 500 ml water

Directions
1. Gently rub a little bit of water gradually into the glutinous rice flour till it forms a dough. Take care not to add too much water as the dough will appear runny.
2. Cut dark chocolate into small pieces about the size of green peas.
3. Take a dough the size of a large marble and roll it into a ball. Gently press the center till it forms a small well. Place a piece of dark chocolate into the center and fold the edges of the dough over it. Roll it on your palms till it forms a ball. Continue with the rest till all completed.
4. To prepare syrup, melt the gula melaka in the boiling water with pandan leaves.
5. To cook the glutinous rice balls, cook the balls in rapid boiling water. The balls are cooked once it floats to the surface. Remove quickly and place them into a bowl of iced water.
6. To serve, scoop desired number of balls into a serving bowl and pour syrup over it.

Barley, Gingko But & Beancurd Soup

Ingredients
- 4 tbsp of China Barley
- 1 pkt of Gingko nuts
- 1/2 pkt of dessert beancurd sheet
- rock sugar to taste
- 1.5 litres of water
- few pcs of pandan leaves, wash & tied into knot
- 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions
1. Rinse barley until water runs clear.
2. Place it in pot with water & panda leaves, bring to boil & lower the heat then simmer for about 15 mins.
3. Meanwhile, wash the gingko nuts & use a toothpick to gently push the dirt out of the nuts that are bitter.
4. Marinate the gingko nuts with 1 tbsp of castor sugar & set aside.
5. Pour1/2 pkt of beancurd skin into a big bowl, rinse it with water to remove the oil & pick up those harden strips which is not easy to cook. Drained well & set aside.
6. When the barley is done, remove the pandan leaves & add in the beancurd sheet & simmer on medium heat for 20 mins.
7. Add in rock sugar & gingko nuts, continue to simmer for 10-15 mins.
8. Add in beaten egg & stir well.

*Simmer longer if you want to achieve beancurd sheet in fine texture.

Green Bean Soup

Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 125g Green Beans (aka mung beans)
- soaked overnight and drained
- 2 Pandan (aka Screw Pine) Leaves, dried ends cut, tied in a knot
- 1.25 litres water
- 50g rock sugar
- 3 small pieces of dried orange (tangerine) peel (optional)
- 50g canned lotus seeds or gingko nuts (optional)
- 1/3 cup sago (small tapioca pearls) (optional)

Directions
1. Place water, orange peel and pandan leaves in a pot and bring to boil.
2. Reduce the fire, add beans and lotus seeds/gingko nuts and simmer, partially covered, for about 30-50 minutes (or till beans are soft). Add some hot water if needed. Add sugar to taste during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

*if you are adding sago
1. Soak tapioca pearls in cold water for 20 minutes.
2. The pearls will expand and turn bright white. Drain.
3. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil.
4. When water boils, turn off heat and add the drained tapioca pearls and stir constantly for 1 1/2 minutes, or until the pearls are translucent with a very small white center.
5. Taste the tapioca, it should be soft but not goopy.
6. Drain the tapioca in fine mesh sieve and run cold water through the sieve to stop the tapioca pearls from cooking further.
7. Swish with your hands to make sure that the pearls at the bottom of the sieve have a chance to cool down.
8. Drain and add to the green bean soup.

Sugar Syrup

Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) of white sugar
- 2 cups (500ml) of water

Methods
1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water.
2. Bring to boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved.
3. Allow to cool.