Cashew Soup (腰果糊)

For a sweet finish to our Chinese New Year dinner, Dr. S suggested something that wasn’t red bean soup: instead, a nut-based tong sui.

The type of Cantonese dessert soup made from a sweetened nut puree is known as a 糊 (wu4) which refers to the paste-like consistency. You can find dessert shops in places like Hong Kong with huge vats filled with wu made from peanut, walnut, almond, black sesame, or blends.

For this cashew based one, I followed this recipe, omitting the egg white, and replacing almonds with cashews. I soaked the nuts for a couple of hours instead of overnight, knowing that cashews get completely smooth when pulverized in a high-speed blender, without the need to sieve. This soup was immensely satisfying, with a wonderful fragrance and nuttiness. Leftovers thickened considerably, but just stir a tablespoon of water into your bowl before microwaving it.