Ginataan Soups

Ginataan, alternatively spelled Guinataan, is a dessert soup from the Philippines. Its name is derived from the Filipino word for coconut milk, "gatá", the main ingredient in the soup. It is also called "benignit" in Cebuano, and "ginettaán" in Ilokano.


Preparation

The meat of a mature coconut is grated and the "thick" milk is extracted. Two cups of water are added to the grated coconut and a second extraction is made. This becomes the "thin" milk. This "thin" coconut milk extract is added to cubed kamote (sweet potato), gabi (taro) and ube (purple yam), sliced ripe sabá (plantain) and langka (jack fruit), and tapioca pearls. Sometimes, young coconut meat strips are also added. The mixture is brought to a boil; being stirred occasionally until done. Just before removal from the flame, the "thick" coconut milk is added.

Eating

Ginataan may be eaten hot (during the cold, rainy season) or cold, but it is best served chilled. Some Filipinos even serve it frozen, eating the dessert much like ice cream.




Shiruko Japanese: Sweet Bean Soup to Warm You Up in Cold Weather


China

In China, red bean soup is a popular dish. The soup is commonly thinner than the Japanese oshiruko version. It is categorized as a tong sui, or sweet soup. It is often served cold during the summer, and hot in the winter. Leftover red bean soup can also be frozen to make ice pops.

It is one of the main desserts offered after Cantonese cuisine meals in restaurants at night. When served, it is plain most of the time. The fancier restaurants may offer red bean soup with sago (西米). The two types of sugar used interchangeably are rock sugar and sliced sugar (片糖).

Japan

Shiruko (汁粉, Shiruko?), or oshiruko (お汁粉, oshiruko?) with the honorific "o" (お), is a traditional Japanese dessert. It is a sweet porridge of azuki beans boiled and crushed, served in a bowl with mochi. There are different styles of shiruko, such as shiruko with chestnuts, or with glutinous rice flour dumplings instead of mochi.

There are two types of shiruko based on difference of cooking way of azuki beans. Azuki beans could be turned into paste, crushed without keeping its original shape, or paste and roughly crushed beans are mixed. There is a similar dish, zenzai (善哉、ぜんざい, zenzai?), which is made from condensed paste with heat and is less watery than shiruko, like making jam or marmalade. Zenzai also refers to a type of shiruko made from mixture of paste and crushed beans in some dialects, mostly in Western Japan.

It is loved by many Japanese, especially during the winter. The half-melted sticky mochi and the sweet, warm azuki bean porridge is thought by many to be an absolute delight. Shiruko is frequently served with sour or salty thing, such as umeboshi or shiokombu as a side dish. This is because shiruko is so sweet that the taste gets tiring after a while, so the customer can refresh their palate with something sour or salty, such as shiokombu or umeboshi, or both.

In some regions including Kagawa Prefecture, shiruko is also used for zōni, the special soup for New Year celebration.

Korea

In Korean cuisine, red bean soup is called patjuk (팥죽), and is commonly eaten during the winter season. On donji nal, a Korean traditional holiday which falls on December 22, Korean people eat donji patjuk, which contains saealsim (새알심), a ball made from glutinous rice flour.

Vietnam

Vietnamese cuisine also has a similar dish, called chè đậu đỏ.photo Particularly in southern Vietnam, it contains added coconut milk.