DIY: Black Sesame Soup

Black sesame.

Do you know these seeds are really beneficial to our health?  Among all the different types of seeds, black sesame is the most nutritious seed - they are rich in vitamins and minerals as well as dietary fiber, which improves cardiovascular health, reduce inflammation and prevent other chronic health conditions.

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You can find these seeds used in many desserts/snacks nowadays.  The most familiar one would be black sesame soup.

My mum loves black sesame soup very much and I thought, maybe I should try making it at home since it is quite expensive to get one outside.  Plus, homemade is always the healthier option.

Searching for a recipe online is quite a task as every blog recommends a slightly different version.  So, I decided to be creative and used all my researched information, combining the best of every version.

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Basically, the ingredients are very simple:

1 cup of black sesame, lightly toasted
1/2 cup of uncooked rice
rock sugar
2 litre of hot water
(will approx make to about 5-6 bowls)

As long as the ratio of black sesame to rice is around 2:1, it should turn out just nice.  But if you like your dessert to be more starchy, you can increase the amount of rice used.

1. Toast the black sesame on the frying pan for a few minutes (approx. 1-2 mins) until fragrant.  Not too long as it burns easily.
2. Put the black sesame & rice into a food processor, and blend it.  Don't worry if it is not very fine as the purpose is to let the black sesame oil seep out.  By now, you should be able to smell the fragrance of the oil.
3. Place the black sesame mixture into a pot & add hot water.  Add rock sugar accordingly to your level of sweetness.
4. Bring it to boil, while stirring it occasionally.
5. After simmering for 10 to 15 mins, place it into the thermal cooker for an hour or so.  The longer the better so that the soup becomes more starchy.
6. Before serving, place the hand blender into the soup & blend it until smooth.  How long to blend it depend on how smooth you like it.  I like it super smooth, and so, I blended for quite a while.
7. And you're done :)

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Cooking is something very subjective and it really depends on your preference - you always need to personalise the recipe to get the exact taste you want.

The above recipe was a result of my own trial-and-error.  It took me 2 trials to get the consistency right.  The first time, I followed exactly the recipe I found on the Internet and it didn't out very well.  For the second time, I decided to experiment by using my instincts and improvising along the way.

I also decided to make full use of my new thermal cooker as I didn't have the time be around to look after the fire.  If you cook it on the stove, you need to constantly stir the soup so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot, else it'll get burnt.

The last thing you want is to have your hard-work go wasted.

Key to a nice black sesame soup?

• The black sesame need to be toasted until fragrant
• If possible, keep cooking for as long as you can.  The longer the better the taste & texture.
• Blend it as fine as possible before & after.

Will post some pics the next time I cook this dessert again :)