Gandum, Nyonya wheat porridge (13 April 2013)
Gandum, or wheat porridge, is a popular Nyonya sweet broth. It is often made to be taken during afternoon tea. In some families, the gandum is served in Nyonya porcelain ware, and taken with a selection of Nyonya kuih and tea. It is one of my favorite Nyonya sweet broth when growing up.
Gandum is one of the easier sweet broths to make. Below I will describe to you the steps required.
The raw gandum, or wheat grains (13 April 2013)
Recipe for making Gandum
Utensils
Ingredients
- 300g gandum
- 200ml santan (coconut milk)
- 100g brown sugar
- One pandan leaf
- A pinch of salt
Soaking the gandum overnight (13 April 2013)
Steps
- Leave the gandum to soak in water in a basin overnight. As it absorbs water, the wheat grains will expand.
- The next day, cook the gandum in a pot of water to a depth of 3 inches. Put one knotted pandan leaf in to enhance the aroma. Put the broth on high heat and boil it for 5 minutes, then continue to simmer at low heat until the wheat grains become big and soft, about 30 minutes. Add brown sugar and stir until it is fully dissolved. Adjust the sweetness to your liking. Similarly add hot water to the pot to adjust the thickness of the broth.
- Near the end stage of the cooking process, add santan, stir until it mixes well and let it boil for 30 seconds, then the gandum is ready to be served. Gandum can be served hot or cold (though I prefer hot).
Gandum in pot before cooking (13 April 2013)
Gandum boiling in the pot (13 April 2013)
Gandum cooked (13 April 2013)