Water Chestnut Sweet Soup ~ 馬蹄羹

'Ma Tai Kang' in Cantonese or Water Chestnut Sweet Soup is one of my favourite dessert and I never fail to order this whenever I dine out.  This goes very well with Shanghai pancakes but is equally refreshing consuming it on its own.   Water Chestnut is not a nut but an aquatic vegetable with long slender stems growing above water from a bulb beneath that stores food for the plant.  The bulb is the water chestnut that we are referring to.  Water Chestnut is highly nutritious with a good source of potassium, vitamin B6 and manganese.  The distinctive characteristic of this aquatic vegetable is that it stays crunchy even after being cooked or canned and it's low in calorie and fat-free.

Recipe for Water Chestnut Sweet Soup ~  馬蹄羹

Ingredients      

• 10 peeled water chestnut
• 100 gm rock sugar or slab/piece sugar  ( I used rock sugar)
• 1 Tbsp water chestnut powder +  1 Tbsp water to mix
• 1 litre water
• 1 egg white lightly beaten
• Pandan leaves

Method

1. Peel, rinse, smash and chop up the water chestnuts, set aside.
2. Mix the water chestnut powder with water, set aside.
3. In a pot, dissolve the sugar with a litre of water and some pandan leaves on medium heat, add in the chopped water chestnuts.
4. Keep stirring, bring to a light boil, lower heat.
5. Mix in the water chestnut powder mixture, keep stirring on low heat, bring to a light boil.
6. Switch off heat and slowly add in the beaten egg white, keep stirring.
7. Ladle onto serving bowls.
8. Serve warm or chilled.

Note :

1. If a thicker consistency is preferred, use 2 Tbsp of Water chestnut powder + 2 Tbsp of water to mix.

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