Tau suan (split green bean soup)

This is the continuing part of my Melbourne gateway. We spent a day to just relax near the Yarra river, enjoy a cool breeze blown towards us, stretch our legs and prepare ourselves for the next destinations. It sometimes occurs to me that I find it difficult to enjoy the beautiful view in front of us and knowing the fact that you have heaps of things to do. But, not this time. I think I could just stay there for hours enjoying the beautiful view and relax.

Although, it's been only a couple of weeks since I took a short break to bring my mind to sanity literally, a break will never be enough. My weekends are always loaded with so many things, cooking, shopping, doing my laundry, and cleaning up, not that I feel apologetic about it, it's just I need a little bit of space and time to get back on my feet.

One thing that I find it rather funny is during the week when I was so stress and fed up about anything, I think about what to cook more often! Needless to say, anything other than what you are doing is always far more interesting!

Sydney weather is getting colder nowadays. My body need something restorative and comforting at the same time. My mind straight away laid on this childhood memory. I used to have this sweet soup at night from a street vendor near where I live. It was sweet, warm, and  nicely accompanied by crunchy you tiao that was cut into pieces and dunked into this rather thick sauce, it was divine! I remember clearly I always asked my dad to buy extra you tiao for me. I love heaps of them in my bowl!

So, let me share it with you...

Tau Suan

Ingredients:

250 g split green bean, soaked in water for 3-4 hours, drain excess liquid

1.5 L hot water

300 g sugar

5 tbsp water chestnut starch

you tiao as many as you like (available in Asian grocery shop)

Directions:

1.  Steam the soaked split green bean for 10 minutes (you want them to be soft but not mushy).

2. In another pot, dissolve the sugar in hot water, under medium heat.

3. Dilute the water chestnut starch with a little water, mix well just until dissolve.

4. Add the steamed split green bean to the water and sugar mixture.

5. Add 3 tbsp of the sugar and water mixture to the water chestnut mixture

6. Pour the whole water chestnut strach into the pot under rigorous mixing. 

7. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, turn off the heat.

8. Serve with you tiao.

n.b Traditionally, the soup is infused with pandan leaves, but I don't have it in hand, so I just disregarded it. It is well worthed to use water chestnut starch since it gives a much clearer soup. But, if you couldn't be bothered or it is difficult to find it, just substitute it with corn starch. For the you tiao, if you get it from the Asian stores, normally it will be cold and not crispy, what you can do to bring them to life again is fry them in a hot oil or you can bake them in the oven just until crispy.

'Till then,