← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 300 g dried sugarcane (bamboo cane) pieces, rinsed
• 400 g fresh water chestnuts, peeled and lightly smashed
• 1 Carrot, cut into chunks (optional)
• 2 l Water
• 40 g Rock sugar (yellow or white), to taste
• 2 Pandan leaves, knotted (optional)
• ice, to serve

Method

1. Put the sugarcane, water chestnuts, carrot, pandan and water in a large pot and bring to the boil.
2. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, until the drink turns a pale amber and tastes sweet.
3. Add the rock sugar and simmer for 10 min more until dissolved. Taste: you may need very little.
4. Strain, keeping a few water chestnuts for each glass. Serve warm, or chill and serve over ice.

Tips

• Look for packs of dried sugarcane bundled with imperata (cogon grass) root at Chinese grocers; add the root for the classic herbal flavour.
• Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Fresh sugarcane sticks work too; use about 500 g, split lengthways.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Noob Cook Ruyi Asian Recipes My Wok Life