Rice ball sweet soup. Photo: Archive
Sweet soup is a special bowl of "soup". In this bowl, people add beans or other ingredients, such as jelly, ball cakes, tapioca pearls, etc. In the summer, sweet soup is a popular cooling dish because it's cool, sweet and mouth-watering.
Moreover, sweet soup is inexpensive and provides abundant energy for the body. Hue sweet soup is elegant, not too sweet and easy to eat. Hue’s sweet soups are famous for their delicious taste. Some of the popular ones include green bean sweet soup, red bean sweet soup, hyacinth bean sweet soup, mixed sweet soup...
My favorite is rice ball sweet soup with the lovely chubby floating rice balls. Despite not being as brilliant and colorful as mixed sweet soup, green bean or red bean sweet soup..., the rice ball sweet soup has a meek beauty, as simple as a docile girl which easily captures the heart of the beholder.
The white floating rice balls, round and soft like marshmallows. The filling is sweet green bean, which is rich and a bit salty. The rice balls are served in cool sweet syrup, with crunchy and fragrant peanuts.
If you would like a richer taste, add some condensed coconut milk. Usually, I will eat the soup with a bit of ice instead of eating it hot. If I have a chance, I will definitely try a bowl of hot rice ball sweet soup.
Making rice ball sweet soup is quite simple. Rice ball is made from glutinous flour, while the filling is made from mashed green beans. The standard rice ball is round and smooth and has a moderate plasticity. First, prepare a pot of syrup water made from palm sugar, ginger, then add the rice balls and pandan leaves for a more delicious and richer flavor.
Sweet soup is a folk dish. So, it should be enjoyed at a roadside vendor while chattering with friends. You can enjoy the sweet and fresh taste of soup, while telling stories with friends and watching people hurrying along the road.
People can go to the coffee shop, sit and ponder on the laptop or absently look at the streets, but at the sweet soup shop, the atmosphere must be fun and simple. If you’re happy, eat sweet soup. If you’re sad, have a drink. If you’re in a contemplative mood, sip some afternoon tea.
Do you recognize a poetic point of cuisine, that is: "each season has its own dishes"? Culinary is a part of human life so it changes flexibly according to the change of "weather".
In the cold season, people enjoy hot, crunchy, warm dishes such as grilled sweet potatoes or noodle dishes, such as bun, pho, and hu tieu... In the summer, people prefer healthy fresh foods, such as sweet soup, sugarcane juice, tofu dessert. If the body is dressed and pampered, then the stomach is fed by "nutritious food”: cool in summer, warm in winter.
By Thuc Dan