Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Cantonese Black Sesame Sweet Soup
芝麻糊
Recipe overview
Dry-toast black sesame, then blend it twice with glutinous rice for a fragrant, smooth Cantonese sweet soup without lumps.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 180 g black sesame seeds
- 50 g glutinous rice
- 1.2 litres water
Finishing seasoning
- 120 g crushed rock sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
02
Tools
- fine sieve
- large bowl
- dry frying pan
- wooden spatula
- blender
- measuring jug
- heavy saucepan
- hand whisk
- ladle
- 4 small bowls
03
Steps
Step 1
Sieve the sesame
First place black sesame seeds 180 g in the fine sieve over a large bowl; shake for 1 minute and remove visible debris while keeping the seeds dry.
Step 2
Rinse the rice
Next rinse glutinous rice 50 g twice in the large bowl until the water is clearer; drain, add water 200 ml and soak for 15 minutes.
Step 3
Toast the sesame
Tip black sesame seeds 180 g into the dry frying pan and stir constantly with the wooden spatula over low heat for 4 minutes until nutty, never smoking.
Step 4
Cool the sesame
Immediately spread the toasted sesame in the dry large bowl for 5 minutes until no longer hot, preventing residual heat from scorching it.
Step 5
Blend the first batch
Put cooled sesame, soaked rice with water 200 ml, then another water 400 ml into the blender in sequence; blend on high for 2 minutes to a fine black liquid.
Step 6
Strain the liquid
Pour the sesame-rice liquid through the fine sieve into the large bowl and press with the ladle for 1 minute; return coarse particles to the blender.
Step 7
Blend coarse particles
Add water 200 ml to the coarse particles in the blender, blend on high for 1 minute, then strain into the first bowl of black liquid.
Step 8
Heat remaining water
Pour the remaining water 400 ml into the heavy saucepan and heat over medium for 4 minutes until small edge bubbles appear without a hard boil.
Step 9
Whisk in sesame liquid
Turn to low heat and slowly pour all sesame-rice liquid into the saucepan while whisking continuously for 2 minutes.
Step 10
Cook until smooth
Keep low heat and scrape the saucepan base with the whisk for 12 minutes until small bubbles rise and the soup evenly coats the back of the ladle.
Step 11
Dissolve the sugar
Add crushed rock sugar 120 g and salt 1/8 tsp, then whisk for 3 minutes until dissolved; the soup must be steaming with no raw-rice taste.
Step 12
Portion and serve
Turn off the heat, rest for 2 minutes, then use the ladle to divide the black sesame soup among 4 small bowls; it should be smooth and lump-free.
Common mistakes
- High heat quickly burns black sesame and makes it bitter.
- Blending sesame while hot can form oily clumps.
- Failing to whisk as the liquid enters the hot water causes lumps and sticking.
- Large pieces of rock sugar may not dissolve before the soup becomes too thick.
Tips
Remove sesame from the heat as soon as it smells nutty. Scrape the base continuously over low heat; if cooled soup is too thick, add hot water 1 tbsp at a time.
