← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 15 g dried snow fungus (1 small head)
• 3 Asian (ya li or nashi) pears, cored and cut into chunks, peeled if you like
• 8 Dried Chinese red dates (jujubes, hong zao), rinsed and slit
• 1 tbsp Dried goji berries (optional)
• 1.5 l Water
• 50 g rock sugar, to taste

Method

1. Soak the snow fungus in cold water for 30 min, until soft and puffed. Cut away the hard yellow base and tear it into small florets.
2. Put the fungus, red dates and water in a pot, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 45 min, until the fungus turns soft and slightly gelatinous.
3. Add the pears and rock sugar and simmer for 20–25 min more, until the pears are tender and translucent at the edges.
4. Add the goji berries for the last 5 min. Serve warm, or chilled in summer.

Tips

• The longer the fungus simmers, the silkier and thicker the soup becomes.
• Some cooks add pork shank for a savoury version; this sweet one is the dessert-shop style.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Daily Cooking Quest Christine's Recipes Red House Spice