Don Signature Crab - Singapore Food Guide

Traditional Cheng Tng

A cooling, Singapore-style dessert soup of dried longan, barley, white fungus and lotus seeds, gently simmered into a fragrant sweet broth—served hot or chilled as a classic hawker-centre favourite.

Traditional Cheng Tng

About this dish

Traditional Cheng Tng is a comforting Chinese dessert soup that you'll find at kopitiams and hawker centres across Singapore, especially during the hotter months or as a light supper after a heartland zi char meal. This version keeps the recipe simple and authentic: chewy white fungus, sweet dried longan, nutty barley and plump lotus seeds simmered with pandan and rock sugar until the broth is glossy and slightly viscous.

In Singapore homes you might see families making a big pot to share over the weekend, or older neighbours bringing a jar of chilled cheng tng to lift spirits during festive visits. The texture is a pleasant mix of soft and chewy elements: the delicate crunch of rehydrated white fungus, the bite of barley, and the melting sweetness of lotus seeds and longan. Some stalls add winter melon or dried papaya for extra body and sweetness; others prefer gingko nuts and red dates for a richer mouthfeel.

Serve it hot on rainy nights the way your aunties might, or chill it with shaved ice for a refreshing kopitiam-style treat during the afternoon heat in Tiong Bahru or the East Coast. This recipe is forgiving and flexible—use a pressure cooker or slow cooker if you’re busy, or simmer gently on the stove for that classic hawker-centre clarity.

Ingredients

  • 1.8 litres water
  • 60 g pearled barley (soaked 1–2 hours, or overnight for faster cooking)
  • 40 g dried white fungus (tremella), soaked until soft and torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 50 g dried longan (heaped), rinsed
  • 60 g dried lotus seeds (or fresh if available), soaked 30 minutes and drained
  • 30 g dried tangerine peel (chenpi), rinsed (optional, gives slight citrus note)
  • 2–3 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
  • 100–140 g rock sugar, adjusted to taste (start with 100 g)
  • 50 g dried papaya or 150 g winter melon cubes (optional, for body and sweetness)
  • 30 g ginkgo nuts (optional), blanched if using canned or pre-cooked
  • 4–6 red dates (jujubes), pitted and halved (optional)
  • 1 tsp pandan or vanilla extract (optional, if pandan aroma is weak)
  • Ice cubes or shaved ice, for serving chilled (optional)
  • Lime or calamansi wedges (optional, for a slight tang when serving chilled)

Step-by-Step Method

  1. Prep dried ingredients: rinse dried longan, lotus seeds, red dates and tangerine peel. Soak white fungus in warm water until soft (about 20–30 minutes), then trim tough stems and tear into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Soak barley for 1–2 hours or overnight to shorten cooking time and improve texture. Drain before cooking.
  3. In a large pot, bring 1.8 litres water to a rolling boil. Add soaked barley, lotus seeds and tangerine peel. Bring back to a gentle boil.
  4. Turn heat down to low-medium and simmer, uncovered, for 25–30 minutes until barley starts to soften. Skim any foam that rises for a clearer broth—this is a common hawker stall trick.
  5. Add the rehydrated white fungus, dried longan, red dates and winter melon or dried papaya (if using). Continue to simmer gently for another 20–30 minutes until all ingredients are tender and flavours have melded.
  6. Stir in rock sugar and pandan leaves; simmer 5–10 minutes more until sugar fully dissolves. Taste and adjust sweetness—Singapore hawker-style cheng tng is lightly sweet, so reduce sugar if you prefer less sweet.
  7. If you prefer a syrupier consistency, simmer uncovered a little longer to concentrate; for a lighter soup, add a little hot water. Remove pandan leaves and tangerine peel before serving.
  8. Serve hot in small bowls as a comforting supper, or chill in the fridge and serve over shaved ice with a squeeze of calamansi for a kopitiam-style cool dessert.

Tips & Serving Ideas

  • Soak barley and white fungus ahead of time to cut down on stove time; both are commonly available at NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage or Sheng Siong.
  • If you’re short on time, use a pressure cooker: 10–12 minutes on high pressure after adding all ingredients will give similar tenderness.
  • For a clearer broth like many zi char stalls, skim foam during the first 10 minutes and avoid vigorous boiling once ingredients are added.
  • Adjust sweetness gradually—rock sugar dissolves slowly. Start with less (100 g) and add more if you want the hawker-sweet level.
  • Swap ingredients depending on season: fresh longan (when in season) is a lovely upgrade; canned lotus seeds are a convenient option.
  • Make-ahead: cheng tng flavours improve after a few hours—cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat gently or serve chilled over ice for a refreshing dessert.

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