My homesickness went up a notch over the weekend. And it just doesn’t stop there. I think of my family everyday – every single one of them.
My mum used to always make either chrysanthemum tea or barley drinks over the weekends for us. She says they’re good for health, especially during the hot and humid seasons in Singapore. I rarely drank them then, but now, I yearn for them badly.
Ingredients:
- Water: 2 litres (about 8 cups)
- Pearl barley: 120g, washed
- Pandan leaves: 2, washed and knotted
- Rock sugar or winter melon: 100g
- Lemon: 1 slice (optional)
Method:
- Bring water to the boil.
- Add barley and pandan leaves into water. Leave to boil on high heat for 15min.
- Add sugar or winter melon. Turn heat down to medium and leave to cook for 45min.
- Serve with lemon slice.
Tricks:
- There tends to be a lot of barley pearls left over from the cooking. You could use these to:
- fry with rice to enhance its texture
- cook in broth or soup (e.g. Tom Yam soup)
- fry with tomato paste or baked beans and sausage, as a subsitute for rice
Serving:
500ml (liquid), with 1 bowl full of barley pearls
