Warm spices with buttery vegetables makes our Sweet Potato and Ginger Dessert Soup an ultra satisfying way to end the day. It uses only 4 ingredients and is a healthy alternative for those quick sugar cravings. All you have to do peel, boil and simmer, then enjoy it hot or cold!
A humble way to soothe the soul
I don’t know abut you, but I always need something sweet to end a savory meal. Whether I’m complementing a noodle dish with Silky Egg Pudding (冰花燉蛋) or indulging in Fudgy Matcha Brownies to go with my Hong Kong Style Baked Pork Chop Rice (焗豬扒飯), I just have to finish things off with a hit of sugar.
Having said that, there are times when I just want it to be something SIMPLE. No fuss, no fancy ingredients.
That’s when I turn to a Cantonese favorite – Sweet Potato and Ginger Dessert Soup!
The recipe’s cooking style is the same as how we would make dessert soups with snow fungus or hashima. It’s a humble technique that ensures the family is nourished and everyone can go to bed with a smile.
All you have to do is throw all the prepped ingredients in boiling water, let it simmer for 15 minutes and you’re done!
How incredibly easy is that? Like I said: no fuss, nothing fancy. But maximum satisfaction.
For this dish in particular, that satisfaction comes from two things: (1) the buttery sweet potatoes cooked tender enough for your spoon to cut through and (2) the spicy warmth that OOZES from crushed ginger.
In short, here’s a recipe you must have in your back pocket!
Which sweet potato do I use?
For this recipe, we like to use orange or purple sweet potatoes. They’re buttery when cooked and have a delicate sweetness that complements ginger and sugar, or even coconut cream in curry.
The orange type is orange on the inside with brown-orange skin while the purple ones are purple on the inside but can have cream or grey-brown skin.
Both are great and have a balanced flavor that works wonderfully in this tong sui!
Why this recipe works
- Using brown sugar slabs means the sweetness is rich and gentle without being overpowering.
- The sweet potatoes are cut into large chunks to keep their shape and provide great texture.
- Old ginger adds a warm spiciness that makes this perfect for a post-dinner treat.
What you’ll need
About the ingredients
We use brown sugar slabs (pin tong 片糖) for this recipe, but you can use palm sugar or any that you have on hand. Just make sure to adjust it to taste.
This recipe uses old ginger (lo gurng 老姜) for a spicier warmth. Lo gurng can be purchased looking brown and wrinkly whereas its younger counterpart is soft, smooth and on the pink side.
Modifications
Our homemade version keeps the ingredients simple, but this dish can be taken to a new level by adding ingredients like mung beans, glutinous rice balls (without the filling), sweet potato balls, red bean, dried red dates, taro, longan, peach gum and pandan leaves.
How to make this recipe
Smash the ginger using the flat side of a meat mallet or a large flat knife like a cleaver.
Peel then cut the sweet potatoes into large chunks. You can either slice it down cleanly or wedge the cleaver 1/3 of the way in and break the rest off. By doing the latter technique, you’ll create more texture for every bite.
Bring the water to a boil and add the sweet potatoes and ginger. Let it simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat.
Add the brown sugar slabs in and let it cook for another 5 minutes or until the ingredients have softened to preference.
Enjoy hot as is or refrigerate to have it cold!
Recipe FAQs
I would suggest going for another rich sugar like palm or dark brown sugar. This also adds a slight caramel color to the dish.
You sure can! Just replace the water with a stock and season using ingredients such as chicken bouillon powder and salt.
Tips for the best results
- Avoid overcooking the ingredients. You’ll end up with overly soft potatoes that have no bite.
- Using the ‘cut and break’ technique. This will add texture to each piece for a better mouthfeel.
- Opt for old ginger. Young versions just don’t have the same kick and can make the dish sweeter than it needs to be.
- Char the aromatics. Before you add water to the pot, gently char the ginger to develop deeper flavors.
What to serve it with
You want humble flavors to complement this simple dessert, so these dishes would work fabulously:
- To start, go for some Steamed Oysters to get your appetite going.
- For a main, Crispy Egg Noodles with Seafood (海鲜炒面) or Rice Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Rice would work nicely.
- Pair it up with side dishes including Braised Chicken (金針雞), Steamed Pork Belly with Salted Radish and Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry (黑椒牛柳).
- Stir fried Water Spinach with Fermented Bean Curd (炒腐乳空心菜) or Pea Shoots with Garlic will add some delicious greens to your meal.
- Before finishing off with dessert, wrap the savory dishes up with Grandma’s Lotus Root Soup (蓮藕汤)!
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Sweet Potato and Ginger Dessert Soup (番薯糖水)
Equipment
- Meat mallet or cleaver
- Peeler
Ingredients
- 1 kg / 2.2 lb sweet potato
- 60 g / 0.1 lb ginger (or to preference)
- 100 g / 0.22 brown sugar slab (or to taste)
- 1 1/2 L / 6.3 US cup water
Instructions
- Smash the ginger using the flat side of a meat mallet or a large flat knife like a cleaver.
- Peel then cut the sweet potatoes into large chunks. You can either slice it down cleanly or wedge the cleaver 1/3 of the way in and break the rest off. By doing the latter technique, you'll create more texture for every bite.
- Bring the water to a boil and add the sweet potatoes and ginger. Let it simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar slabs in and let it cook for another 5 minutes or until the ingredients have softened to preference.
- Enjoy hot as is or refrigerate to have it cold!
Notes
- Avoid overcooking the ingredients. You'll end up with overly soft potatoes that have no bite.
- Using the 'cut and break' technique. This will add texture to each piece for a better mouthfeel.
- Opt for old ginger. Young versions just don't have the same kick and can make the dish sweeter than it needs to be.
- Char the aromatics. Before you add water to the pot, gently char the ginger to develop deeper flavors.
- For this recipe, we like to use orange or purple sweet potatoes for their butteriness and gentle sweetness.
- We use brown sugar slabs (pin tong 片糖) for this recipe, but you can use palm sugar or any that you have on hand. Just make sure to adjust it to taste.
- Old ginger (lo gurng 老姜) is our preferred option for its spicier warmth. Lo gurng can be purchased looking brown and wrinkly whereas its younger counterpart is soft, smooth and on the pink side.
- Our homemade version keeps the ingredients simple, but this dish can be modified by adding ingredients like mung beans, glutinous rice balls (without the filling), sweet potato balls, red bean, dried red dates, taro, longan, peach gum and pandan leaves.
I am just loving how this came out. What a great, flavorful but light recipe. Thanks!
Glad you like it, Danielle!
I’ve never thought to make a soup for dessert but these flavors are perfect and work so nicely together. It’s a like sweet potato pie in soup form and a heck of a lot easier!
Thanks, Gina! Definitely an easy dessert! 😀
Turns out great! My family loves this soup as well!
That’s wonderful to hear, Jo! Glad they love it too!
What a unique idea for a dessert! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks, Julia! I hope you get to try it soon!
Just made it, eating it as I type. I didn’t really measure the ingredients as the recipe and just eyeballed it but everything came out amazing!Ty for making this!!!
Hi, Ashley! That’s so wonderful to hear! Haha, I always believe in making the recipes work for you 😉
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I’m excited to try it out! I have a quick question on the amount of water to use. Your recipe says 1.5 liters of water or 0.8 cups; 0.5 liters of water is about 2 cups of water so I’m not sure how much to use. Thank you!
Hi, Diana! I don’t know how I made such a mistake but thanks so much for the spot! I’ve edited it so it matches now 🙂