Sâm Bổ Lượng: Vietnamese Desserts

I love the enterprising old ladies of Cabramatta, each weekend they add colour and even more life to the place by selling home made food and home grown vegetables.  Early on, over zealous council officers would chase them and made a point of publicly throwing their goods in the bin as a form of public deterrent.

But week after week, more and more come back.  I think the council has now given up this silly persecution.



Of course, I always make a point of supporting them (these ladies can also be very persuasive sales people), one week it's nem, another it's mint, sometimes banh tet, today it's Sâm Bổ Lượng.  I even go to nearby Canley Heights to buy home made yogurt and creme caramel.

Sâm Bổ Lượng is a popular Vietnamese dessert that you can get a most Vietnamese restaurants, grocery stores and now, on the streets of Cabramatta.

It must be related to a Chinese version because the name sounds Chinese.  It's cross between a syrupy drink and a dessert consisting lotus nuts, dried longans, dried snow fungus, dried prunes, dried seaweed and a lot of sugar.  If you want to make it at home, here's a recipe.

Long may the old ladies sell their wares!