Mugwort Dumpling Red Bean Soup 艾草紅豆甜湯

Around Mid May, you will start to find mugwort growing on the road sides or among bushes. My husband and I like to pick a bunch whenever we see it. It has a unique fragrance that you won't forget once you smell it once. It is popular to use this wild edible plant to make into the chewy glutinous dumplings and serve them with sweet bean soup.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (packed) Mugwort, young leaves only

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 cup Glutinous Flour

1/2 cup Water

1 pack Red Bean Paste (store bought)

DIRECTION:

1. Pick the young leaves off the stems; rinse off the dirt.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add baking soda and mugwort. Boil until the mugwort soften; about 5 minutes. Drain well.

3. In a processor, add the cooked mugwort and about 1/2 cup of water. Blend until the mugwort is totally smooth.

4. In a mixing bowl, add the glutinous flour. Slowly add half of the mugwort liquid into the flour. Mix until it becomes dough. If it is too dry, add more mugwort liquid. The texture of the dough should feel like an ear lobe.

5. Set a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. When it comes to a rolling boil, roll a small portion of dough into a ball. Add it to the water. Repeat the process until all the dough is gone.

6. When the boiled dumplings float to the surface, it means they are done. Scoop them out and place them in cold water to stop the cooking process.

7. In a small pot, add the bean paste and some water. Stir and cook over medium heat until the paste is diluted into soup. No need to add sugar. It should be sweet enough.

8. Divide the soup into small bowls. In each bowl, add 6-8 mugwort 

dumplings. 

Papaya Sweet Soup with Lotus Seed and White Fungus

It is one of the popular dessert in Hong Kong that people usually enjoy eating it through the year.  Since the white fungus is consider as 'natural collagen' due to the high amount of protein, women love to eat it regularly.  The rock sugar and lotus seeds can help nourishing dry skins or sore throat.  In summer, people like to chill this clear looking dessert before eating so that it can cool off the body from the heat.

I used the dried lotus seeds in this recipe, but it is always better if you are using fresh lotus seeds.  Remember to remove the green core that has a bitter taste.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Papaya, ripen

10-15 Lotus Seeds, core removed (I used dried lotus seeds here)

2 White Fungus

2 tablespoons Goji Berries

1/3 cup Rock Sugar (adjust it to your preference)

8 cups Water

DIRECTION:

1, Soak the white fungus in water until it is rehydrated; about 30 minutes.  Discard the yellow hard core.  Gently tear the fungus into large pieces; set aside.

2. Peel off the skin of papaya.  Cut it lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Cut the papaya into chunks; set them aside.

3. Bring the water to a boil.  Add lotus seeds and rock sugar.  Boil for another 15 minutes.

4. Add papaya, white fungus and goji berries.  Bring it to a boil again and then turn the heat to medium.  Continuously boil for another 20 minutes and it is done.  It is delicious to serve it both cold or hot.

Dango in Red Bean Sweet Soup | 豆腐丸子紅豆湯

INGREDIENTS:

Red Bean Soup, link

50 gram Silken Tofu

100 gram Glutinous Flour

DIRECTION:

1. Mix the tofu with glutinous flour together until the texture resembles to an earlobe.

2. Roll the dough into many event size balls.  Boil them in rolling boiling water until they float onto the surface.  Scoop them up and add them to the hot red bean soup. 

Steamed Sweet Milky Custard Egg (Instant Pot version) ｜鮮奶燉蛋 (壓力煲版)

First snow today!  It is only the second week of November.  It seems like the winter just suddenly arrived.  My son was so excited jumping up and down in the bed.

It was -10 outside and I just found out in this particularly cold morning that my son didn't have his winter garments.  I've been putting jackets, gloves, and hats on my son and he's been forgetting to bring those things home.  He didn't realize how important it was to take care of his things until he found himself with nothing extra to put on to keep him warm.

He was crying because his ears ached in the bitter cold while he waited for the school bus.  We then needed to bring him back home and find him a small old hat under the drawer to wear.  Eventually, he missed the school bus and he got to wear that toddler hat to go to school today.

What a bustling morning!  Sometimes I wonder if most of the parents share the similar experience.

Sweet milky custard egg is a common dessert in Hong Kong many people will choose to to make at home.  My husband and I adore the silky texture of the egg.  You can substitute milk for coconut milk, or use only egg white instead of whole eggs.  If you don't have an instant pot, you can steam it over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

Steamed Sweet Milky Custard Egg (Instant Pot version)

鮮奶燉蛋 (壓力煲版)

INGREDIENTS:

2 Eggs, large

1 cup Milk, homogenized

4 tablespoons Sugar

DIRECTION:

1. In a bowl, combine eggs and sugar.

2. Whisk until it is well combined.

3. Add milk and whisk well.

4. Pour the milk mixture slowly in a heat-proof container through a tea infuser.  This step is to get rid off the egg membrane.

5. Cover the container with foil tightly.

6. In the instant pot.  Pour in 2 cups of water and place in a low rack.  Carefully put the container on top.

7. Close the venting knob.  Press the "Manual" button once, and then press "Pressure" to adjust the pressure to low.  Press the "-" or "+" button to set the time to 6 minutes.

8. When the cooking process is done, allow the pressure to release naturally until the floating valve goes down.  Remove the container from the instant pot right away.  Serve it immediately.

In Hong Kong, we serve this custard egg both cold or hot.  It depends on the individual's preference.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Red Bean Sweet Soup with Lotus Seeds and Lily Bulb | 蓮子百合陳皮紅豆沙

Red Bean Sweet Soup with Lotus Seeds and Lily Bulb

蓮子百合陳皮紅豆沙 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Red Beans

10 cups Water

15 gram Dried Tangerine Peel

30 gram Dried Lily Bulb

35 gram Dried Lotus Seeds

1 cup Brown Sugar

材料：

1 杯   紅豆

10 杯   水

15 克   陳皮

30 克   乾百合

35 克   乾蓮子 

1 杯   黑糖

DIRECTION:

Walnut Sweet Soup | 合桃糊

Walnut Sweet Soup | 合桃糊

Ingredients: (4 servings)

1.5 cups Walnuts

1/2 cup White Rice, short grain

5-8 cups Water

1 cup Brown Sugar

材料: (4 人份)

1.5 杯   合桃

1/2 杯   白米, 圓米

5-8 杯   水

1 杯   片糖

DIRECTION:

Purple Rice and Sago Dessert ｜紫米西米露

Purple Rice and Sago Dessert

紫米西米露

Ingredients:

1 cup Purple Rice, rinsed

1 cup Sago

6-8 cups Water

1.5 cups Brown Sugar

1.5 cups Coconut Milk

材料：

1 杯   紫米，洗淨

1 杯   西米

6-8 杯   水

1.5 杯   椰奶

1.5 杯   黑糖

DIRECTION:

Bean Curd, Ginkgo and Egg Dessert | 腐竹雞蛋湯水

Bean Curd, Ginkgo and Egg Dessert

腐竹雞蛋湯水

Ingredients: (yield 3-4 servings)

2 sheets Bean Curd

3 Eggs

60 gram Ginkgo, unshelled

4 cup Water

100 gram Rock Sugar

材料： (3﹣4人份)

2 塊   腐竹

3 隻   雞蛋

4 杯   水

60 克   白果， 去殼

100 克   冰糖

DIRECTION:

Sweet Coconut Quinoa with Mango | 椰奶香芒藜麥

It is kind of another version of coconut mango sago.  Instead of the starchy sago, I used quinoa.  I would say the flavour, texture, and nutrition are all enhanced by adding the nutty flavoured quinoa.

You can serve it either warm or cold.  Both ways are tasty.

Sweet Coconut Quinoa with Mango

椰奶香芒藜麥

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa, rinsed

400 ml Coconut Milk

1 cup Water

50 gram Palm Sugar

1-2 Mango

材料：

1 杯   藜麥，洗淨

400 毫升   椰奶

1 杯   水

50 克   椰糖

1-2 個   芒果

DIRECTION:

Kelp and Mung Bean Sweet Soup | 海帶綠豆沙

Another popular summer dessert that is well known in Hong Kong.  We like to eat it warm or cold, and even make popsicle out of it.  The ingredients should be available in many Asian markets.  I hope you will give this recipe a try this summer.

Kelp and Mung Bean Sweet Soup

海帶綠豆沙

Ingredients: (yield about 6 servings)

1 cup Green Bean

7 cups Water

10 gram Dried Tangerine Peel

25 gram Dried Kelp

100 gram Rock Sugar

材料：(約6人份)

1 杯   綠豆

7 杯   水

10 克   陳皮

25 克   乾海帶

100 克   冰糖

DIRECTION: