Hong Kong
Vegan
Gluten freeSweet potato ginger soup
Faan syu tong sui (番薯糖水): sweet potato chunks in a fiery ginger and brown slab sugar syrup
Cheap, warming and ready in under an hour, this is the tong sui Hong Kong families make at home on cold, damp winter nights, ladled out after dinner or before bed rather than ordered in a shop. Chunks of orange, yellow or purple sweet potato turn tender and fudgy in a clear amber syrup made with brown slab sugar and plenty of smashed ginger, so each spoonful is sweet first and then pleasantly hot. Some cooks add a few pitted red dates or a piece of dried tangerine peel. Boiling the sweet potatoes from the start is the usual slip; by the time the ginger has given up its heat, they've collapsed and clouded the syrup. Chef's tip: soak the cut sweet potato in cold water for 10 minutes to rinse off surface starch, and add it only once the ginger broth has simmered for a good 10 minutes.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 220 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ oz fresh gingersliced and lightly smashed
- 1.2 litres water
- 1 ⅓ lb sweet potatoesorange, yellow or purple, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 6 dried red dates (jujubes) (optional)pitted
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drop 1 ⅓ lb sweet potatoes into a bowl of cold water and soak for 10 minutes while the broth starts; this rinses off starch that would cloud the soup.
10 minStep 2: Put 2 ⅛ oz fresh ginger and 1.2 litres water in a pot, with 6 dried red dates (jujubes) if using, and bring to the boil over a high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the water smells strongly of ginger.
12 minStep 3: Drain the sweet potatoes and add them to the pot. Return to a gentle simmer and cook for 12–15 minutes, until a chopstick slides in easily but the chunks still hold their shape.
15 minStep 4: Add 3 ½ oz Chinese brown slab sugar or dark brown sugar and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring gently, until dissolved and the syrup turns amber.
3 minStep 5: Taste and add more sugar or a few more ginger slices to your liking. Serve hot in bowls; it reheats well.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 53 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sweet potato ginger soup take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of sweet potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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