Chrysanthemum tea sounds strange yet familiar; it is actually a cute version transformed from glutinous rice balls combined with the familiar pumpkin. Today, TasteVN will guide you through 2 ways to cook chrysanthemum tea that are both delicious and novel to change up the flavors for your family, let’s get cooking!
1. Chrysanthemum tea
-
Preparation
20 minutes
-
Cooking
40 minutes
-
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Chrysanthemum Tea Serves 3
Glutinous rice flour 300 gr Pumpkin 100 gr Sugar 4 tablespoons (brown sugar or granulated sugar) Ginger 1/2 root
How to make Chrysanthemum Pudding
-
Prepare and steam the pumpkin
After purchasing, wash the pumpkin and ginger, peel them, then cut the pumpkin into small pieces while slicing the ginger into strips. Then, set them aside in separate bowls!
Next, place a steamer on the stove and add all 100g of pumpkin to steam over medium heat until the pumpkin flesh is soft.
Tip: To check if the pumpkin is soft, you can use chopsticks to pierce it; if it goes through easily, the pumpkin is perfectly cooked!
-
Mix the glutinous rice flour and pumpkin flour
After about 10 – 15 minutes of steaming, take the pumpkin out into a bowl and mash it well with a ladle. Then, add 100g of glutinous rice flour along with the pumpkin into a basin and mix thoroughly.
Next, gradually pour in 100ml of warm water into the mixture and stir until the dough is smooth and not sticky to your hands.
Then, in another bowl, add 200g of glutinous rice flour and knead similarly with 200ml of warm water, and you’ll have a white dough to shape the flower petals.
Tip: You should use warm water of 70 degrees Celsius or higher for easier mixing. Additionally, add water gradually while kneading to avoid the dough becoming too wet!
-
Shaping the Chrysanthemum
After kneading, divide the two blocks of yellow and white dough into small, equal-sized balls.
To make the white chrysanthemum with yellow center, place 5 white dough balls together to represent the 5 petals, then place a round pumpkin dough ball in the center, and you have a lovely chrysanthemum.
Similarly, for the yellow chrysanthemum, arrange 5 yellow dough balls together and place 1 white dough ball in the center as the center of the flower.
-
Cooking chrysanthemum sweet soup
First, add about 400ml of water into a pot and boil for 5 – 7 minutes. Once the water is boiling, add all the chrysanthemum flour balls and boil until you see the flowers float up.
After the flowers are cooked, remove them and soak them in a bowl of cold water.
Next, put the pot back on the stove, then add 500ml of new water along with 4 tablespoons of sugar and the ginger that was sliced earlier, and simmer on low heat.
About 3 minutes later, remove the chrysanthemum flowers and drop them into the pot of syrup, and cook for about 15 minutes for the sugar to soak into the sweet balls.
Finally, observe; if you see the chrysanthemum flowers floating, the skin taut and slightly translucent, then the sweet balls are done. Turn off the heat and serve!
-
Final product
Chrysanthemum sweet soup with its small, lovely flowers is not only visually appealing but also has a fragrant aroma with a chewy and soft texture combined with ginger syrup that will satisfy all your senses.
This sweet soup will surely be a wonderful choice for you and your family during cozy dinners. Show off your cooking skills right away!
How to make Chrysanthemum Pudding with Sago and Coconut Milk
-
Prepare and steam the pumpkin
First, wash the pumpkin thoroughly, peel it, and cut it into small pieces. Then, steam all 200g of the pumpkin flesh for about 10 – 15 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
-
Mix the pumpkin flour and pandan leaf flour
Once the pumpkin is steamed and cooked, transfer it to a bowl and mash it well, then add 200g of glutinous rice flour and mix evenly.
Next, knead the dough with your hands until it forms a cohesive mass and no longer sticks to your hands!
Tip: You should mash the pumpkin as soon as you take it out because the hot pumpkin flesh will be easier to puree.For the pandan leaf flour, place 200g of glutinous rice flour in a separate bowl, then slowly add 100ml of boiling water and mix until the flour is combined with the water.
Finally, add 70ml of pandan leaf extract and knead until the flour is well combined with the pandan water and forms a sticky, cohesive mass.
-
Shape the chrysanthemum
In this step, you take 5 pieces of pumpkin dough and 1 piece of pandan leaf dough, each about the size of a fingertip, and roll them into balls.
Next, you arrange the pumpkin dough balls around each other and place the pandan leaf dough ball in the center. Adjust so that the petals and stigma stick together, and continue doing this until both parts of the dough are used up!
-
Cooking chrysanthemum tea with tapioca and coconut milk
First, you place a pot on the stove and boil 30g tapioca for about 15 minutes until it becomes translucent, then transfer it to a bowl of cold water to prevent sticking together.
Next, add 100g of granulated sugar, 2 sections of pandan leaves, and the tapioca balls into the pot of water, cooking over medium heat until the tapioca balls float to the surface, then turn off the stove and let it sit for 30 seconds before removing them to soak in the cold water.
To prepare the tea, pour 400ml of fresh coconut water, 200ml of coconut milk, 120g of rock sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the pot, then stir well and cook over medium heat until the coconut milk blend is well combined.
When you notice that the sugar has completely dissolved, add the chrysanthemum tapioca balls and cook for about 3 – 5 minutes on low heat, then turn off the stove and serve immediately!
-
Final Product
The chrysanthemum tea balls are not only visually appealing but also chewy, sweet, and rich, combined with the crispy tapioca pearls that tantalize the taste buds, and the creamy coconut milk makes the dish delicious and irresistibly attractive.
Remember to sprinkle a little roasted peanuts on top for an even more fragrant and flavorful dessert! Let’s try making it right away and treat your loved ones!
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Pumpkin
- To properly choose fresh and delicious pumpkin, you should look for pumpkins with green or orange skin, vibrant colors, and when pressed, they feel firm; that is a sign of a fresh pumpkin.
- Additionally, a good pumpkin will have an intact skin, without cracks or bruises. When held, it should feel solid.
- If you are buying pumpkins in bulk for storage, remember to choose those with stems intact, as they will last longer and are easier to store!
