This is a light and healthy dessert that tastes great and is easy to prepare. Hope you try it!
The main ingredients are: purple sweet potatoes 紫番薯, barley 薏米，rock sugar 冰糖and pandan leaves 斑斓叶.
Sweet potatoes 番薯 (又甘薯, 山芋) are ranked highest in nutritional value amongst many other vegetables – they are in general low in calorie, fat free and rich in Vitamins A, C and E, magnesium, potassium, beta-carotene (esp for the orange ones) and antioxidants. The nutrients and minerals help us protect against heart attack and stroke, reduce blood pressure and maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body cells. Studies have also shown that sweet potatoes help to stabilise blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance and diabetics may benefit from a diet which includes this root vegetable. Purple sweet potatoes 紫番薯 are an excellent source of anthocyanins and have the highest antioxidant activity among sweet potato varieties. For more info on the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes, please see this WHFoods site.
Barley 薏米 (又薏仁) contains protein, Vitamins B1、B2, calcium, magnesium, iron and amino acids and they are essential for good health. More importantly, barley is a rich source of soluble fiber that helps to stabilize blood glucose levels and lower "bad" cholesterol in the blood. More of its uses in TCM can be found on this Chinese website 百度百科; according to it, barley expels heat, moisturizes the body and hence it is a beauty food and it is also effective in cancer prevention.
The preparations... peel sweet potatoes, wash and dice. Rinse barley in water and soak for 20 minutes; it is believed that soaking them will help remove some acidity. In addition, Chinese physicians do not encourage a lengthy brewing duration for barley as the long heating could induce “heatiness”.
Let’s start... boil barley in water for 20 minutes, add sweet potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Next, add rock sugar to taste and some pandan leaves, simmer for a little while more till the sugar dissolves and voilà, it’s done!
Hope you try this simple and lovely Purple Sweet Potato & Barley Dessert... Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment