Dessert - Sweetened Sweet Potato Soup

When I was a kid, sometimes I would hear someone say another person was ‘huan zhu’ in Hokkien. It means sweet potato, but here means silly or stupid. I didn’t understand why sweet potatoes have been linked with being stupid? I only knew that sweet potatoes are one of the foods for poor people. However, nowadays sweet potatoes are recognized as a healthy food!

Let’s cook sweetened sweet potato soup. It’s easy to cook and it’s yummy.

Ingredients – Makes 3-4 servings

• 1.1 lbs (500 gm or about 3 medium size potatoes) sweet potato
• 1 oz (30 gm) ginger
• 4 pandan (screwpine) leaves
• 3-4 Tbsp brown sugar
• Water – enough to cover the sweet potatoes in the pot

Method

1. Wash ginger, peel it, and slice thin.
2. Wash the pandan leaves and tie them in a knot.
3. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite-size cubes. Put the cubes into a pot of water immediately; the potatoes will turn brown if left out in the air. Add the ginger and pandan leaves, and bring to a boil. Add the brown sugar (taste and adjust sweetness to your preference). Turn heat down and cook another 5-10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
4. Remove pandan leaves before serving.

小时候会听到有人会说他人是 ‘huan zhu’ 这是福建话，即番薯，而这里指人的意思是傻或笨。我可不理解为何番薯跟笨扯上关系？只知道番薯是以前穷人的食物，但现在它已被视为是一种健康食品！

先来做一做即容易又好吃的红番薯糖水。

材料 - 可做3-4人份量

• 1.1磅（500克）红番薯
• 1安士（30克）生姜
• 4叶 班兰叶
• 3-4汤匙 黑糖
• 水 – 锅的水位超过番薯

做法

1. 洗净生姜，削皮切片。
2. 洗净班兰叶，折捆打结。
3. 红番薯削皮切块，番薯遇空气会变黑，切块后即刻放进锅加水。加生姜和班兰叶，用热炉煮沸后，加黑糖（试调喜爱的甜味），调低炉火煮约5-10分钟或至番薯已熟软。
4. 食用前先弃掉班兰叶。