herbal PORRIDGE "digest" cooking instructions
Add
- 6 pandan leaves
- Asian brown sugar slab or sugar of choice to your desired sweetness level (see Cooking notes).
- Pinch of salt
- (Optional) Coconut milk to serve
Topping ideas to take your dessert porridge to the next level:
- Glutinous rice balls (tang yuan)
- Sticky rice cakes
- Sago
- Tapioca balls
- Taro / sweet potato balls
- Grass jelly
Method
Prep
- Soak all ingredients except tangerine peel and rose buds for 4 hours or preferably overnight until herbs are soft.
Cook
- Add soaked herbs, tangerine peel, pandan leaves and 1.3-1.5L water into a pot.
- Bring to boil and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Cook until tender and preferred texture.
- Add a pinch of salt and brown sugar at the end and continue to simmer until dissolved.
- Remove pandan leaves and tangerine peel. Drizzle with coconut milk. Crush rose buds on top to serve. Enjoy warm for breakfast or dessert.
Cooking notes
- The longer it has been cooked, the thicker the consistency. If it becomes too thick, add water to dilute and adjust sweetness level.
- For a more soupy texture, add up to 2L water.
- Traditionally this is a very sweet dessert soup with at least 1x100g or more whole brown sugar slab. For a healthier alternative, start with 1/3 slab and gradually make your way up to adjust to your sweetness level.
- If adding toppings, cook separately as per packet instructions before adding to porridge.
- For a more traditional broken red bean, sandy texture "Hong Dou Sha 红豆沙", use a stick blender to break up the porridge at the end but not until smooth. Remember to remove the pandan leaves and tangerine peel before blending.
- Store any left overs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat when ready to serve. When reheating in a pot, be careful not to burn the bottom if the porridge is very thick.
- BONUS: Left overs can be used to make a red bean popsicle using an ice-cream mould. Add whole milk / coconut milk for a creamier texture and adjust sweetness level. Note that this is a healthy popsicle option with wholesome ingredients so texture will be more icy that store bought ice creams.