Learn how to easily prepare this refreshing and delicious cheng tng (tong sui) using pang da hai along with other Chinese traditional herbs. It is lightly sweetened and filled with nutritious ingredients.
Soak snow fungus and lotus seeds in warm water until they are soft. Soak pang da hai in boiling water for 10 minutes
I bought pitted red dates. If yours still have pits, soak in warm water for 10 minutes and then make a slit to remove the pits
Crack the lotus seeds open and remove the center green pits. They are bitter. Trim off the yellowish tough core of snow lotus and cut into bite-size pieces
If you are cooking on the stove:
Bring 10 cups of water to a boil. Add barley and tapioca pearls and let them cook for about 30-40 minutes or until they are soft. The tapioca pearls may still have cloudiness in the middle, but as long as they are soft and chewy, no tough center, they are cooked through
Add pandan leaves and the rest of the ingredients, except for pang da hai.Let them simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Add pang da hai and turn off the heat. Have a taste and adjust the sweetness level to your preference
If you are cooking with Instant Pot or other multicooker:
Pour 10 cups of water into the inner pot. Press saute mode and bring it to a boil. Add barley and tapioca pearls. Turn off saute mode. Close the lid and turn the steam release valve to "sealing". Press "pressure cooker" and make sure it's on high pressure and set the timer to 15 minutes and then do a natural release
Carefully unlock the lid. The tapioca pearls may still have some cloudiness in the center but as long as they are soft and chewy without the hard center, they are done. Turn the saute mode back on. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the pang da hai. Let them simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off saute mode and add pang da hai and stir to mix. Have a taste and add more sugar if needed
Serving:
Pang da hai cheng tng can be served warm or chilled. To chill, let it cools down completely and then keep in the fridge for 3-4 hours and then serve with some crushed ice if you like
Storage:
Leftovers can be kept in the fridge, preferrably, for no more than 5 days for the best quality