Walnut Sesame sweet soup ~ Hup Toh Chee Ma Wu

Walnut Sesame sweet soup ~ Hup Toh Chee Ma Wu  is a much enjoyed sweet soup or 'tong sui' amonst the Chinese.  But of  late, I don't seem to be able to get this particular dessert from the tong sui stalls.  They do come in pre-mix form but the taste is not so authentic as when it's freshly made with black sesame seeds.  I surfed the net and managed to find this recipe but had to do a lot of modifications to achieve what I had in mind and also to suit my taste buds.
Now for some info regarding sesame seeds.
The sesame plant thrives well in sandy soil and tropical climatic conditions.  It can grow to a height of 5 ft and bears plenty of pink-white fox-glove type of flowers.  Pods will appear containing white, brown or black seeds and a pod may contain up to 100 or more seeds.  When the sesame seeds ripen, they burst off with a shattering explosion, hence we have 'Open Sesame'!  Black and golden sesame seeds are the un-hulled seeds which may be black or golden brown, while white seeds are the hulled  ones.
Black sesame seeds are a good source of vitamins, minerals and protein.  Besides being a good source of dietary fibres, black sesame seeds also contain two different types of beneficial fibres called Sesamin and Sesamolin. Black sesame seeds  are rich in phytosterols, a plant compound that may reduce blood levels of cholesterol, boost the immune system and a cut in cancer risk.  On the beauty side, it is recommended that constant consumption of black sesame seeds will help to beautify the scalp, keep one's hair looking rich and dark and also benefit the skin.

This healthy and nutritious concoction is not smooth, but a bit thick, due to the addition of ground walnuts which will help enhance the functions of  our brain cells as well!

Recipe for Walnut sesame sweet soup

Ingredients

• 150 gm walnuts
• 150 gm black sesame seeds
• 150 gm rock sugar or to taste
• 4 to 5 cups water or more to suit desired consistency
• 2 Screwpine/pandan leaves
• 1/8 to 1/4  tsp salt or to tast

Preparation

1. Lightly pan-fry the black sesame seeds with the walnuts on low heat.
2. Put the mixture into a blender, add in 2 cups water and blend till fine, about 5 mins.
3. Strain into a pot, then return the residue to the blender, add in 1 cup water and blend till fine.
4. Pour this into the pot, add in 1 cup of water and cook on medium heat.  Add in the pandan leaves, rock sugar and salt.  Keep stirring to prevent mixture from sticking to the pot.
5. Fine tune to taste and ladle into serving bowls.
6. Serve hot.

I'm submitting this post to  Weekend Herb Blogging # 306 hosted by 

Susan of  The Well-Seasoned Cook