I am starting my first Messy Witchen recipe post with a sweet dessert. A symbol of good beginning. Hehe
Sweet potato in ginger syrup is a typical Asian dessert. Believe it or not but this is my first trial. My grandma used to prepare them for me & my cousins when we were little. And I remembered the war story she told me. Sweet potato was one of the main food source during World War II in Malaya. Time was very tough. She is living a good life now. 🙂
You will need sweet potatoes. If you have the option, use 2 different shades of sweet potatoes (orange & yellow).
Peel the skin. But beware of the starch content. Wear a gloves if you don’t like the stickiness.
You will need 2 pandan leaves. Tie into a knot.
Slice the sweet potatoes into 1cm thick. Then cut into strips of 1cm wide. Slice the pieces diagonally to form diamond shapes. Rinse them well.
You will also need to thinly slice 1cm ginger (preferably old ginger). For added ‘hotness’ 2cm ginger is good enough.
In a medium sized pot add sweet potatoes, pandan leaves, ginger and 1 litre of water.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook until sweet potatoes are tender.
Add 1/3 cup of sugar. I prefer a little less than 1/2 cup. Just alright for me.
Simple & easy.
Sweet Potatoes In Ginger Syrup
Adapted from Malaysian Cakes & Desserts
Serves 3
350g (11 1/2 oz) orange and or yellow sweet potatoes
1 litre (4 cups) water
1 cm (1/2 in) ginger, thinly sliced
2 pandan leaves, tied into knots
80-120g (1/3 – 1/2 cup) caster sugar
Method:
1. Peel sweet potatoes & slice about 1cm thick. Then cut into 1cm wide strips. Slice the strip diagonally so they resemble diamond shape. (Alternatively you can make the sweet potatoes into 1cmx1cm cubes).
2. Rinse sweet potatoes.
3. Add water, sweet potatoes, ginger & pandan leaves into a medium sized pot.
4. Bring the liquid to boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Cook until sweet potatoes are tender.
5. Lastly add sugar (to taste) and cook until sugar is dissolved. Best served warm. Can be eaten cold too.
2 Comments
hi amy,
i bought this concoction of ginger cooked in honey in SS2. It is absolutely fantastic. When sweet potatoes are ready, you can scoop half a teaspoon of the honey ginger into the dessert.
Hi sf, that’s a good idea. My dad bought a bottle of Korean ginger+honey at Jaya Jusco not long ago. I will try to add that to the sweet potatoes.