Che Khoai Tia (Purple Yam Sweet Soup in Coconut Milk)

Method

1. Wash 550g purple yam, peel it and cut it into rounds or cubes of about 2 to 3cm. Gloves are worth wearing while peeling to avoid the sap.
2. Steam the yam for 20 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, lift the lid, add 5 washed pandan leaves tied into a bundle, cover again and steam for another 5 minutes.
3. Put 1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch in a small bowl with a little of the 180ml coconut milk and stir until completely dissolved.
4. Pour the rest of the coconut milk into a pot over medium heat. As it approaches a boil, pour in the tapioca mixture slowly while stirring. Add 162g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and stir constantly until it dissolves and the coconut milk simmers and thickens, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
5. Put the hot steamed yam in a large bowl and mash it with a spoon or fork, leaving a few small pieces whole for texture.
6. Pour the cooked coconut milk slowly into the mashed yam and stir well. Add 270ml fresh coconut water and stir until smooth.
7. Pour everything into a clean pot, add 1 vial of vanilla, set over medium heat and stir constantly, simmering for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens, then turn off the heat.
8. Ladle into cups, spoon over a little coconut milk and scatter 120g grated coconut on top.

Tips

• Soaking the peeled yam in lightly salted water for about 15 minutes draws out the sap, spares the hands and keeps the color bright.
• Dissolve the tapioca starch in cool coconut milk first, because straight into a hot pot it lumps immediately.
• Mash the yam while it is hot for a smooth soup, since cooled yam sets into lumps.
• Pandan leaf added for the last 5 minutes of steaming carries plenty of aroma, while steaming it from the start leaves nothing behind.
• The final simmer needs constant stirring, because a thick sweet soup catches on the base of the pot easily.