Purple Sweet potato balls in Pumpkin cream

 

Today is 1^st of May – Labour Day. A public holiday, everyone is staying at home so I took this good opportunity to prepare this delicious dessert for our afternoon tea break.  It has been quite some time since the family sat down together and has a meaningful conversation. Especially now that two of my children have graduated and are working, it is harder to find a time. It will get worse when after marriage and when they have their own family. 

Purple balls in orange coloured cream sound and look funny for a dish but it actually looks very adorable and tantalizing. The size just right to pop one into one’s mouth, the purple balls, made from purple sweet potato, encourages you to pop one after another. The chewy QQ texture is fantastic – not only is it tasty and fresh, it does not stick to your teeth or back of your jaws. Next, the orange coloured cream, coming from none other than the humble ugly pumpkin, is a healthy dish by itself, giving you our body’s much needed antioxidant and beta-carotene.

Recipe: adapted fromTang Shui by Jamie Jong

Ingredients: 

500g pumpkin (without skin) - sliced

250g sugar

200ml concentrated coconut milk

4 -6 pandan leaves

1500ml water

100g sago

Purple Sweet potato balls:

100g  purple sweet potato - steamed till soft, peeled skin and mashed

250g glutinous rice flour

180 ml water (if it is too dry add more water to form a pliable dough)

Methods:

1. To cook purple sweet potato: Combine all ingredients, knead  into smooth dough. Roll into small balls, boil over medium heat till the balls are floating on the surface. Dish up and drain, leave to cool.

2, To cook sago: Rinse sago under running water, drain well, do not soak, then pour into a saucepan of boiling water, keep stirring over over low heat till sago is transparent ( about 10 minutes), pour into sieve and wash away starch under running water, drain well, add to method no.4 or you can add in during serving time.

3. Boil pumpkin, pandan leaves and water in a pot, boil over medium heat till pumpkin is soft, remove from heat, leave to cool.

4.  Use blender to blend till fine and smooth, pour back into the pot, add sugar and bring to boil.  Add in coconut milk, sago and precooked purple balls.

5. Serve with a beautiful dessert bowl, enjoy!