Ah Mah and her Tang Swee

Ah Mah and her Tang Swee

Whenever I eat tang swee (Mandarin), or tong soi (Cantonese), or Chinese dessert soups, I think of my Ah mah, aka, granny.

Since I was young, Ah mah loved to cook many kinds of tang swee. Sweet potato soup, bobo chacha (my fav), big oats, pulaut hitam, and so on. She was the one who introduced Chinese herbs to me too. Of course, my mother has learnt many of her recipes and even improvised some of them. =) However, Ah mah never fails to amaze me with her personal concoction of either tang swee or Chinese herbal soups.

I managed to gather all these ingredients from Singapore this time and decided to cook one of Ah mah’s tang swee yesterday. She likes to cook this particular tang swee during Chinese New Year. The only missing ingredient is lily bulb petals (bai he in Mandarin). But when you see the list of other ingredients I put in, you most probably won’t miss much because it serves the same functions as the rest of the ingredients. Haha.

This tang swee is good especially for ladies! If u wanna be pretty! Whaahahah…. It’s actually good for the entire family, if u read it carefully, esp for children with coughs.

Ingredients and its functions:

~ White fungus: high level of collagen for your face

~ Chinese almonds(Nan xing and Bei xing, bitter and sweet almonds): remedy for dry throats, lung diseases and laryngitis, asthma, rheumatism, swollen feet and constipation

~ gingko nuts (my fav): asthma, coughs, gynaecological problems, bladder ailments and urinary disorders

~ dried longan : good for spleen, heart, kidneys, lungs and mental faculties

~ lotus seeds: promotes sleep, blood circulation and virility

~ honeyed and red dates: restores vigour and vitality

Wow! Isn’t this a super duper power tang swee? HEheeh…No wonder Ah mah cooks it during Chinese New Year. She definitely wants her family to be strong and healthy.

Ah mah, this entry is entirely for you! =)