Chinese Dessert Recipes
Chinese desserts drinks like this Pumpkin Barley Drink are an excellent choice to enjoy with your snacks for afternoon tea or after any meal of the day.
This drink in our Chinese dessert recipes is made up of pumpkin cubes boiled in fragrant barley syrup. We add wintermelon candied strips for the extra bite and flavour. Instead of granulated sugar, rock sugar is used as it gives the drink a creamier and smoother feel and flavour. As with many Asian desserts, the ol' faithful pandan (screwpine) leaves are a mainstay for added flavour.We usually prefer the drink hot but it is equally enjoyable cold, with added ice cubes. There are several interesting pumpkin desserts ala Chinese style (on a side note, I am a self-confessed pumpkin lover as is my husband. I once cooked only pumpkins with dried prawns for dinner and enjoyed it just like that with nothing else!). Most importantly, buy your pumpkins ripe for best flavour in your desserts. 4 cups Pumpkins; ripe and cut into small cubes 6 tbspn Barley 1 inch Old Ginger; cut into 0.25cm slices 1 litre Water 6 Pandan (Screwpine) Leaves; cleaned and knotted 1 cup Rock Sugar 1/2 tsp Salt 8 Candied Wintermelon Strips Method Boil barley, together with pandan leaves in water at high heat until barley has softened. Add water if water level runs low. Add in ginger slices and rock sugar.
Boil until completely dissolved. Add salt. Give the drink a quick stir. Lower heat to medium.
Now add in the pumpkin cubes and boil for 10 minutes until pumpkin is cooked and slightly tender.
You can scoop up a cube to test. Do not over cook pumpkin or it will be too soft and mashed to enjoy. You would want the pumpkin to retain its cube shapes. Lastly, add wintermelon candied strips. Cook for another 8 minutes.
Turn off heat. Remove pandan leaves.
You may serve hot or cold, with added ice cubes (allow drink to cool before adding ice). _________________________ Click here for more Chinese Dessert Recipes
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