Thursday, May 21, 2009

Pong Tai Hai – Light and Cool Dessert

Helooooooo, no naughty thoughts on the name of this dessert, okay! LOL! I learned to cook this dessert from Jaymee Ong’s (the Chinese Australian parentage, sultry model) show in Asian Food Channel, Just Desserts. Pong Tai Hai (in Hokkien dialect, scientific name Scaphium Spp, Malay Name Kembang Semangkuk) is a type of fruit that will expand when you soak it in water. Then you have to remove the skins, fibre and seeds before you can cook it. Pong Tai Hai is quite commonly seen in Leng Chee Kang stalls in Penang and also in other northern states in Malaysia. The texture of the flesh is jelly like and smooth. You can purchase this fruit from Chinese medicine shop. Pong Tai Hai has cooling effect on the body and I heard that, over consumption of this fruit can make you bald. So if you want to have ‘botak’ (bald) hairstyle like ‘Kojak’, then you should buy I kilogram of this fruit and consume all of them in one sitting. It is good to safe money on haircut during this economical downturn period! Ha ha ha! Don’t worry, the addition of chestnuts (which are known to be heaty) in this dessert balanced off the cooling effect of Pong Tai Hai. This is a cool and light in taste type of dessert. Very suitable to be eaten on a hot day!

Ingredients
Pong Tai Hai, 9 to 10 fruits, soaked in water, remove seeds, fibre and skins
Chest nuts, 7 pcs, soaked in boiling water to soften and remove the red fibre inside
Chinese yellow pear, 1 pc, slice into thin strips
Rock Sugar to taste 2 bowl of water

 Pour the water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add chest nuts and boil until it turns soft. Add pear, pong tai hai and rock sugar. Boil for a short while. This dessert is best eaten chilled! Pong Tai Hai fruits before soaking in water..........Expanding in water! Final result, fully expanded!...................................The flesh after removing the impurities! Clockwise from top, the flesh, seed and skins.......Skins, fibre and seeds that was removed!

Related post on Dessert : 1) http://peteformation.blogspot.com/2009/06/thab-thim-krab-water-chestnut-with.html 2) http://peteformation.blogspot.com/2009/05/pong-tai-hai-light-and-cool-dessert.html 3) http://veganformation.blogspot.com/2008/12/vegetarian-sweet-potatoes-dessert-tong.html 4) http://veganformation.blogspot.com/2008/12/wheat-dessert-with-coconut-palm-sugar.html

20 comments:

cibol said...

ha ha ha . so that's how they make it ah? looks so easy, but dunno the real thing hard to do or not.

fufu said...

what is this pong tai hai???
i had only tried the "si bao cha" in penang week ago... didnt know this!! wish you post this up earlier >.<

Superman said...

Nice dessert for the hot weather like this.

Josephine said...

what?
'pong tai hai'?


lol

hahahahahhah

Can't stop laughing....

Anonymous said...

Pete, are you in the food business? You really love food and cooking :)

Just a side note, I think Just Desserts is all right but I don't really enjoy watching it coz I don't like the host. Don't know but her talking and all irritates me more than entertain me...hehe.

Pei Pei said...

PTH in Bah Msia is Kembang Semangkuk. Betul-betul kembang semangkuk :). I like this, cooling drinks

foongpc said...

Wow! overconsumption of this fruit will cause baldness? I don't dare to eat loh like this! Haha!

I don't even know such a fruit exist although I remember eating it when I eat leng chee kang : )

Pete said...

Cibol : Quite easy to make!

Fufu : It is a kind of fruit. In Penang it is a very popular addition in to Leng Chi Kang dessert

Superman : Ya, agree, the hot weather is suppose to last till Sept.

Josephine : Ha Ha......naughty naughty!

Mei Teng : I am not in the food business but love to be in it one day!

Ya lorr, many people think that way too about the host of the Just Dessert show. Maybe is her accent and she is a little 'manja'....ha ha ha!

Pei Pei : Kembang semangkuk sounds like a better name....LOL

Foongpc : Don't worry larr, consuming a little amount will not make you bald. Bald more handsome leh...like towkay!

Anonymous said...

Huwa.... maybe i should go and make this. this stuff is really cooling and haven't been having em for quite some time liao!

Pete said...

Cleff : Don't eat too much lorrr, can go botak leh! Become Botakfairy, ha ha ha!

Baby Yummylicious said...

what is pong tai hai in english?

Chris said...

long time no comment here. How r u?

Pete said...

Baby Yummylicious : I don't know the English common name but Scientific name is Scaphium Spp, the tree is commercially harvested for timber.

Chris : Hi Chris, Doing Ok. Your flight schedule still very busy?

Anonymous said...

pong tai hai?? haha naughty thoughts? im trying to think.. but i cant.. lol..

wow the pong tai hai fruit is just.. amazing..haha..

CheaHSan said...

Pete the name may naughty but it is a real good remedy for reducing the heat especially when you get chicken pox. It worked on me.

Anonymous said...

i think if add bird nest, the taste will be more nice
:)

eunice said...

Cheng Teng has this kind of fruit in it right? I didn't know the fruits are like seeds before soaking them. Wow and they expand like magic! lol

Chris said...

hmmm.. i 1 2 try this one..

mommy to chumsy said...

hahahhaahhaha....i can't stop laughing at the name. this dessert is really good on a hot day eh?

Pete said...

Kenwooi : Real fun watching the fruits expanding when comes in contact with water!

Hosan : Should be good for chicken pox because the fruit is cooling. Hope the chicken pox spots will not expand like pong tai hai! Ha Ha Ha!

Garfield : Interesting suggestion!

Eunice : Really unique fruit!

Chris : Can invite me to try it out if you cook this dessert?

Mommy : Very effective in controlling body heatiness!