Tong Sui
Encyclopedia
Tong sui, also known as tim tong, is a collective term for any sweet, warm soup
or custard
served as a dessert at the end of a meal in Cantonese cuisine
. Tong sui are a Cantonese specialty and are rarely found in other regional cuisines of China
. Outside of Cantonese-speaking communities, soupy desserts generally are not recognized as a distinct category, and the term tong sui is not used.
There is a wide variety of tong sui and in Hong Kong
and Malaysia, there are often stalls which devote themselves just to selling different types of desserts. These dessert stalls have also gained prominence in overseas Chinese
communities, and can be found in various parts of Canada
, Australia
and the United States
.
In Vietnamese cuisine
, a similar dessert soup is called chè
.
Soup
Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...
or custard
Custard
Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk. Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce , to a thick pastry cream used to fill éclairs. The most common custards are used as...
served as a dessert at the end of a meal in Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China and is one of 8 superdivisions of Chinese cuisine. Its prominence outside China is due to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. Cantonese chefs are highly sought after throughout the country...
. Tong sui are a Cantonese specialty and are rarely found in other regional cuisines of China
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
. Outside of Cantonese-speaking communities, soupy desserts generally are not recognized as a distinct category, and the term tong sui is not used.
There is a wide variety of tong sui and in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Malaysia, there are often stalls which devote themselves just to selling different types of desserts. These dessert stalls have also gained prominence in overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
communities, and can be found in various parts of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In Vietnamese cuisine
Cuisine of Vietnam
Vietnamese cuisine is a style of cooking derived from Vietnam. Fish sauce and paste, soy paste, rice, fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables are commonly used. Vietnamese recipes utilize a diverse range of herbs, including lemongrass, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander and Thai basil leaves...
, a similar dessert soup is called chè
Chè
Chè is a Vietnamese term that refers to any traditional Vietnamese sweet dessert soup or pudding.As such, it may, with the addition of qualifying adjectives, refer to a wide variety of distinct soups or puddings, which may be served either hot or cold...
.
Common varieties
| English name | Chinese name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Black sesame paste Black sesame soup Black sesame soup is a popular Chinese dessert that can be widely found throughout China and Hong Kong. It is generally served hot.-Preparation:... |
芝麻糊 | |
| Douhua Douhua Douhua or doufuhua is a Chinese dessert made with very soft tofu. It is also referred to as tofu pudding and soybean pudding.-History:... |
豆花, 豆腐花 | Tofu pudding (The tofu itself is tasteless; sweet syrup is served in a separate bowl) |
| Egg tong sui Egg tong sui Egg tong sui is a classic tong sui within Cantonese cuisine, essentially a sweet version of egg drop soup. It is considered a more traditional and home-style dish in Hong Kong and China, since it is rarely if ever served at any restaurants.... |
雞蛋糖水 | popular in Hong Kong and southern China Northern and southern China Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined... |
| Got fan Got fan Gotfan is a traditional pudding-like hot soup within Chinese cuisine. It is a considered a more traditional and home-style dish in Hong Kong and China, since it is never served at any restaurants.-Preparation:... |
葛粉 | kudzu Kudzu Kudzu is a plant in the genus Pueraria in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It is a climbing, coiling, and trailing vine native to southern Japan and southeast China. Its name comes from the Japanese name for the plant, . It is a weed that climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so... soup |
| Guilinggao Guilinggao Guīlínggāo, also known as Tortoise Jelly or Turtle Jelly, is a jelly-like Chinese medicine, also sold as a dessert... |
龜苓膏 | made from three-lined box turtle Cuora trifasciata Golden coin turtle or Chinese three-striped box turtle is a species of turtle endemic to southern China.The species is distributed in China... |
| Hasma Hasma Hasma is a Chinese and widely Central Asian dessert ingredient made from the dried fatty tissue found near the fallopian tubes of true frogs, typically the Asiatic Grass Frog . Hasma is often mistakenly described as toad or frog fat, since it is sometimes referred to as "toad oil"... |
雪蛤 | A dessert made of dried fallopian tubes of the frog with supposed health benefits. |
| Red bean soup | 紅豆湯, 紅豆沙 | |
| Sai mai lo or Sago | 西米露 | A dessert soup of pearl tapioca, coconut and evaporated milk |
| Mung bean soup | 綠豆湯, 綠豆沙 | Made from mung bean Mung bean The mung bean is the seed of Vigna radiata. It is native to the Indian subcontinent.-Description:They are small, ovoid in shape, and green in color... s, sometimes also served with seaweed Seaweed Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae... |
| 6 flavors | 六味 | |
| Peanut paste soup | 花生糊 | |
| Steamed egg custard | 燉蛋 | |
| Steamed milk custard | 燉奶 | |
| Sweet potato soup Sweet potato soup Sweet potato soup is a Chinese dessert found in Southern China and Hong Kong.-Cantonese cuisine:In Cantonese cuisine, it is categorized as a tong sui or sweet soup, hence the Chinese name. The soup is usually thin in texture, but potent in taste. The recipe is simple, consisting of boiling the... |
番薯糖水 | |
| Sweet almond soup | 杏仁糊 | |
| Sweet walnut Walnut Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories... soup |
核桃糊 | |
See also
- Cantonese desserts
- ChèChèChè is a Vietnamese term that refers to any traditional Vietnamese sweet dessert soup or pudding.As such, it may, with the addition of qualifying adjectives, refer to a wide variety of distinct soups or puddings, which may be served either hot or cold...
- CompoteCompoteCompote is a dessert originating from 17th century France made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are immersed in water and with sugar and spices added to the dish, over gentle heat. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder,...
- Fruit cocktail
- KisselKisselKissel or kisel is a fruit soup, popular as a dessert in Eastern and Northern Europe. It consists of sweetened juice, thickened with arrowroot, cornstarch or potato starch, and sometimes red wine or fresh or dried fruits are added...
- KompotKompotthumb|Dried plum kompotthumb|Apple and quince kompotKompot is a traditional drink in Central and Eastern European countries. It is a light, refreshing drink most often made of dried or fresh fruit boiled in water with sugar and left to cool and infuse...
- Sâm bổ lượng
- Tangyuan (food)