16 hours ago
Best of both worlds: Red bean and black glutinous rice ‘tong sui' is sweet and creamy, nutty and utterly comforting
KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — Two of my favourite Cantonese tong sui (sweet dessert soups) are hung dau sui (red bean soup) and hak loh mai (black glutinous rice dessert).
Both are staples in my pantry, at least in their dry forms, so they are always at reach whenever the hankering for home cooked tong sui hits.
The challenge sometimes is in deciding which to have?
The creamy, sweet red bean soup or the nutty bite of the black glutinous rice dessert?
Red beans. — Picture by CK Lim
Why not have both?
No, I don't mean making two separate batches but creating one unified tong sui that marries the earthy sweetness of red beans and the chewy texture of black glutinous rice.
It's the best of both worlds. The best of both types of tong sui, really.
The resulting sweet dessert soup is both comforting and rich, yet utterly traditional. It's almost a forgotten classic as most of us only opt for one tong sui or the other.
This is me telling you that you can enjoy both, happily so.
Black glutinous rice. — Picture by CK Lim
RED BEAN & BLACK GLUTINOUS RICE 'TONG SUI'
You will notice there's quite a bit of overnight soaking in this recipe, for both the red beans and the black glutinous rice.
This pre-soak gives the red beans a head start, softening them enough to break down smoothly as they parboil the next day.
Black glutinous rice doesn't require the same parboiling after its overnight soak; just a rinse or two until the water runs dark reddish-purple.
Then you can combine both the legumes and the grains together for the actual tong sui boiling.
A few small additions make all the difference: the chan pei (dried tangerine peel) lends its subtle perfume; the pandan leaves a soft, grassy note; the santan a richness that is tempered by the fruity sweetness of the dried longans.
Finish the sweet dessert soup with a little rock sugar — the amount in this recipe is only a guide and you should adjust accordingly based on what feels right to you.
Remember, there's no wrong or right level of sweetness; just how you like your tong sui to taste.
Pandan leaves, tied in a knot (left). Dried longans (right). — Pictures by CK Lim
Ingredients
200 g dried red beans
100 g black glutinous rice
1 piece dried tangerine peel
2–3 pandan leaves, tied in a knot
2 litres water
50 g dried longans
100 g rock sugar
250 ml santan (coconut cream)
Salt to taste
'Santan' (coconut cream). — Picture by CK Lim
Method
The day before cooking, place the red beans and black glutinous rice in separate bowls. Cover each with plenty of water, and leave to soak overnight.
The next day, drain the soaked red beans and place them in a large pot. Cover with fresh water and bring to a boil.
Once the water has come to a boil, drain immediately. Refill the pot with clean water and repeat this step once more. This helps to temper any bitterness in the beans.
While boiling the red beans, separately soak the tangerine peel in cold water for about 30 minutes. Rinse the black glutinous rice thoroughly until the water is no longer cloudy.
Add the parboiled red beans, drained glutinous rice, soaked tangerine peel, pandan leaves and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Once boiling, lower the heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours. Stir now and then to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Roughly 45 minutes before the cooking time ends, add the dried longans to the pot. Continue to simmer gently.
Separately, in a smaller pot, warm the santan with a pinch of salt over low heat. Allow it to reach just under a simmer, then turn off the heat. Cover and set aside to keep warm.
When the red beans and black glutinous rice have softened, and the tong sui has reached the desired consistency, stir in the rock sugar and a small pinch of salt.
Continue stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved. Check the taste and adjust if necessary with more water or rock sugar.
When ready, turn off the heat and ladle the tong sui into individual bowls. Drizzle a little warm santan over each bowl and serve immediately.
Drizzle a little warm 'santan' and serve immediately. — Picture by CK Lim
