Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup
This sweet potato & ginger soup (番薯老姜糖水) certainly warmed our tummies and soul when we enjoyed a hot bowl on a rainy day. I have been cooking & eating more sweet potatoes these days, because the past 2 months of working from home has made me put on weight T_T Sweet potatoes help keep me full, while aiding in weight loss due to its lower Glycemic Index (GI) at the same time.
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My version of this Chinese sweet soup (糖水) is extra spiced and delicious, due to the addition of pure (Bentong) ginger powder. Check out the ingredients & step-by-step photos in this post.
INGREDIENTS
Main ingredients: Sweet potato (orange/yellow flesh), ginger, black sugar (I used this jaggery sugar from Sheng Siong), pandan leaves …
Peel and cut the sweet potato to large chunks.
Lightly smash the ginger with a mortar & pestle (pictured above) or the flat part of a chopper. After this, I placed the ginger in a disposable soup pouch (optional) for easy removal & in case there are small bits of ginger in the soup.
STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS
Add all the ingredients (including sugar) into the pot.
When water is added, the soup changes to a dark colour immediately due to the black sugar I am using.
Bring to a boil for 15 to 20 minutes (with a small lid vent opening), until the sweet potato is just done. Do not boil for too long as the sweet potato will become mushy & disintegrate easily.
As a special finishing touch, I added a small amount of pure ginger powder to taste. This ingredient is optional, but it made a huge difference: the sweet potato soup tasted extra spiced, warming and delicious. I bought my bottle from Malaysia before the lockdown, but you can still find pure ginger powder in some Chinese organic food shops in Singapore.
Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup Recipe
This sweet potato & ginger soup recipe is extra spiced and warming, which is great for colder or rainy days.
Ingredients:
- 400g sweet potato 番薯 (orange and/or yellow flesh) peeled & cut to large chunks
- 2 tbsp granulated black/brown sugar (黑糖) see note below
- 60g old or Bentong ginger lightly smashed; optional: put it into a disposable soup pouch
- 15 (about 20g) dried longan (干龙眼)
- 4 pandan leaves tied into a knot
- 1 litre water top up more if needed
- 1 tsp pure ginger powder optional; to taste
Directions:
Place all the ingredients except ginger powder in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer with a small lid vent opening for 15-20 minutes, until the sweet potato is just softened but still holding its shape. Add ginger powder, if using, to make the soup extra spiced & warming. Discard pandan and ginger before serving.
Cooking Notes:
- Don’t over boil the sweet potatoes (not exceeding 20 minutes) as they will turn mushy and disintegrate into the soup.
- Brown Sugar. For best results, use black sugar (more fragrant) in granulated form (makes measurement easier). Examples are jaggery sugar (what I used), coconut sugar or gula melaka.
- Ginger. Use old ginger (more spicy) or Bentong ginger for this recipe.
- ‘Secret’ Ingredient. The pure ginger powder adds extra spice to the soup, making it more delicious, warming and also aiding in dispelling wind in the tummy.