Sweet potatoes are calm in nature and sweet in taste. They can clear the intestines and detox the system, and are especially suitable for weight loss. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, “sweet potato has the effect of invigorating deficiency, replenishing energy, nourishing the spleen and stomach, and strengthening the kidney and yang energy.”
Lily is a sweet, slightly cold flower bulb that nourishes the yin energy and lungs and calms the mind and spirit. It can be made into desserts together with orange peels and fresh cream, being soft and mellow with a fresh citrusy fragrance. Paired with Chinese sticky rice cakes, it creates a fruity and creamy scent with mild flavours intertwined.
Sticky Rice Cakes and
Lilies with Orange Zest Cream (serves four):
Ingredients:
280g glutinous rice flour
500g sweet potatoes
Zest of half an orange
2 handfuls dried lilies
500ml milk
100g white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon heavy cream
A little oil for frying
Instructions:
Chinese Glutinous Rice Cakes: Peel and cut sweet potatoes into cubes, steam, then press into puree. Add glutinous rice flour to the mashed sweet potato to form a dough. Divide it into 16 small round cakes about 1 cm thick and as large as the palm. Brush the pan lightly with oil. Fry each glutinous rice cake on low heat until golden on both sides with the centre fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
Lilies with Orange Zest Cream: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add dried lilies and cook until done, fish them out, drain and crush.
Pour the milk into a small pot on medium-high heat, immediately removing as soon as it boils.
In another small pot, whip the egg yolks and sugar until they become white, then slowly add the boiled milk, stirring while adding.
Add the lilies, orange zest, fresh cream, and cornstarch, and stir while heating on low until it starts to thicken. Immediately remove from heat once thick. Use the remaining heat of the pot to continue stirring until the mixture is smooth.
