Ming Zhu and The Pearl that Shines

Chapter 25 - Sweet Blessings

Xiao Xiao mulled over Ming Zhu's words, rolling them on her tongue as if they were hardened maltose honey. Who was Ming Zhu referring to?

While she recovered from the poisoning, she had started to crack open the book of herbs given by her grandparents. So many herbs and weeds. Some could be used as vegetables. Some could be used as herbs, mixed into poultices for wound. Even the humble dandelion was a valuable plant; it was used for food poisoning and cleansing of the liver, benefitting the organ. It was a yin herb and apparently very very bitter.

One of the ingredients used to remove the poison, she was told, was dandelion.

She sighed. The walls of the chambers stifled her. Outside it was becoming colder and colder.

To alleviate her craving for sweet things, the cooks in the kitchen made her fried sweet potato balls from the last harvest of sweet potatoes.

Fried Sweet Potato Balls

Ingredients

Two sweet potatoes

Half a cup of Glutinous rice flour

A table spoon of rice flour

Vegetable oil (for frying)

Sugar (optional)

Method

1. Peel off skin and boil the sweet potatoes until they are soft. Mash them.

2. Mix in the glutinous rice flour and rice flour until they form a soft but firm dough.

3. Portion the dough so that you can roll them into balls. (like golf balls)

4. Make sure the oil is hot, but not that hot as the balls turn brown very quick in hot oil.

5. Fry until the balls are golden brown in color.

6. Serve immediately.