Water Chestnut Sweet Soup (冰花馬蹄露)

Ever tried this traditional Chinese dessert, water chestnut sweet soup? I used to buy a whole packet of frozen water chestnut to make water chestnut cake. The leftover water chestnut can be used to make this dessert. Its crunchy texture and delicious taste totally win my heart.

Water chestnut cake is a must-eat snack during Chinese New Year. But I won’t wait a whole year to enjoy crunchy and tasty water chestnuts. Its mild sweetness is so pleasant. They can be eaten on its own.

For cooking, I’d like to put some water chestnuts in my pork patties or make myself a sweet treat, like this Chinese dessert soup that I grew up with.

This sweet soup can be served hot or cold. It’s comforting on cold days and refreshing on hot days. Oh yeah, the egg drops are the highlight too, feeding my stomach as well as my eyes. This sweet soup looks very appealing, isn’t it?

Water Chestnut Sweet Soup Recipe

(Printable recipe)
By Christine’s Recipes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep time: 15 mins + soaking time 3 hrs
Cook time: 35 mins
Yield: 3 to 4 serves

Water Chestnut powder that I used.

Ingredients:

• 50 gm peeled split mung beans
• 1.1 liter water
• 80 gm rock sugar
• 180 gm peeled water chestnuts, frozen or fresh
• 1 egg, lightly whisked

Thickening:

• 1½ Tbsp, about 15 gm water chestnut powder
• 100 ml water

Method:

1. Soak the mung beans for 3 hours or overnight. Drain well. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, pour in the water and bring it to a boil. Add the mung beans. Cook until it boils again, covered. Reduce heat to simmer until the mung beans are softened, for about 20 minutes. Add rock sugar and cook until completely dissolved.
3. While cooking the mung beans, pulse the water chestnuts in a food processor for a few seconds into smaller pieces. Or you may use a knife to chop them finely. If you like smoother texture, you can process them into a paste. I like to retain some crunchy bits in the soup.
4. Mix the thickening thoroughly. You may need to press the water chestnut powder with a teaspoon in order to help it dissolve completely.
5. Add the chopped water chestnuts. Pour in the thickening and stir as you go. Bring it to boil again. Turn off the heat. Slowly stir in the whisked egg and let it spread out into ribbons. Served hot. The leftover can be chilled in fridge and then served cold.

Notes：

• Water chestnut powder is available at Asian grocers. Click to see the picture of it.
• The amount of rock sugar can be either increased or decrease to your liking.