Bandung is a popular drink found at the street stalls in Malaysia and served at weddings with dishes like rending. It’s extremely refreshing on a hot day and is a gorgeous, fragrant accompaniment for a hot, spicy meal.
YOU NEED
½ cup of fresh pitted dates, roughly chopped
¼ cup of water
Plus 200ml of cold water
400ml of Bonsoy organic soy milk
½ – ¾ teaspoon of rosewater essence
Natural pink food colouring
YOU DO
Put the dates and the 1/4 cup of water into a small bowl for an hour to soak. Once the dates have softened, blend them with the soaking water, then strain the liquid so that it is smooth. Put aside any date mixture that is too thick to strain and use it in another recipe, (eg: a smoothie)
Put the remaining ingredients, the date sweetened water and a few drops of natural food colouring together into a jug and whisk to combine. Place the jug in the freezer until the milk is chilled.
Serve in chilled glasses with lots of ice.
Yields: 2 large or 4 small serves
Time: 5 minutes preparation. 1 hour soaking time. 2 hours for chilling.
Notes: Bandung is traditionally made using sugar syrup. But by sweetening it with dates instead of castor sugar, you gain vital vitamins, minerals and fibre and still end up with a very sweet, refreshing Bandung style beverage.
I use a brand of food colour called Hopper which contains fruits and vegetables. It is available in select health food stores.
