Chinese Snow Fungus Soup (雪耳糖水)
This traditional Chinese soup not only tastes great but also has amazing health benefits! In only 30 minutes, you can make this delicious traditional Chinese dish.
What is Snow Fungus Soup?
Chinese snow fungus soup (雪耳糖水) is a traditional Chinese dessert soup that is both tastes great and is healthy for you too! This is one of many tong sui, or sweet soups served in Cantonese cuisine. Another example is this red bean and black glutinous rice soup!
Many snow fungus soup benefits come from the main ingredient: white fungus. Also called tremella, this ingredient is often featured in traditional Chinese medicine for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, and immune-boosting properties. Most noticeably, it is used in medicine and beauty products to help people maintain a youthful complexion (anti-aging and moisturizing effects). More helpful information about its nutrition can be found in this Healthline article.
Preparing Chinese fungus soup
The most simple ingredients for this dessert soup are white fungus, water, dried jujubes, and rock sugar. From there you can customize the taste and texture of the soup by adding/removing ingredients and adjusting the cooking time. For my recipe, I also add lotus seeds, lily bulbs, longan, goji berries, and rice wine.
Some other ingredients that you can add are:
- Fruits: apples, Asian pears, papaya
- pearl barley
- black dates
- ginkgo nuts
Notes
- Lotus Seeds: The green sprouts inside the lotus seeds should already be removed from most store-bought varieties. However, sometimes a few are missed, so it is good to check for the sprouts just in case.
- Cook time: I personally like the fungus to have a crunchier texture, which is why it is only cooked for about 6 minutes. If you would like the fungus to be softer, firstly boil just the snow fungus and water together for up to 30 minutes. Then, add in and cook the remaining ingredients. A longer boiling time will thicken the soup and make it more gelatinous.
Chinese Snow Fungus Soup (雪耳糖水)
Ingredients
- 15 g snow/white fungus
- 6 cups water
- 10 whole Chinese red dates
- 15 g lotus seeds ~15 pc
- 1/2 cup rice wine optional
- 10 g lily bulbs ~2 tbsp
- 10 g longan ~ 2 tbsp
- 10 g goji berries ~2 tbsp
- 30 g rock sugar
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Soak the fungus in warm water for 10 minutes or until plump and soft. Drain the water and wash the fungus thoroughly. Then, cut off and discard the hard, yellow parts of the fungus. Cut or tear the remaining fungus into bite-sized pieces.
- Wash the lotus seeds, longan, red dates, lotus seeds, and goji berries. Soak them in warm water for 5 – 10 minutes until soft. Drain the excess water.
- Separate the lotus seeds halves to check for any green sprouts inside. If present, remove to prevent bitterness. *Note 1
Cook the Soup
- Bring the water to a boil in a pot and add in the dates, lotus seeds, and rice wine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the lily bulbs and simmer for a few minutes until tender.
- Add the longan, and rock sugar and simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
- Taste and add more rock sugar as desired. Add in the fungus and simmer for five more minutes. *Note 2
- Lastly, add in the goji berries and simmer for 1 minute.
- Enjoy warm or cold.
Notes
- The green sprouts inside the lotus seeds should already be removed from most store-bought varieties. However, sometimes a few are missed, so it is good to check for the sprouts just in case.
- I personally like the fungus to have a crunchier texture, which is why it is only cooked for about 6 minutes. If you would like the fungus to be softer, you can boil just the snow fungus and water together for 30 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. A longer boiling time will thicken the soup and make it more gelatinous.
How to Make Chinese White Fungus Soup
Soak the fungus in warm water for 10 minutes or until plump and soft. Drain the water and wash the fungus thoroughly. Then, cut off and discard the hard, yellow parts of the fungus. Cut or tear the remaining fungus into bite-sized pieces.
Wash the lotus seeds, longan, red dates, lotus seeds, and goji berries. Soak them in warm water for 5 – 10 minutes until soft. Then, drain the excess water. Separate the lotus seeds halves to check for any green sprouts inside. If present, remove to prevent bitterness.
Bring the water to a boil in a pot and add the dates, lotus seeds, and rice wine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the lily bulbs and simmer for a few minutes until tender. Add the longan, and rock sugar and simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
Taste and add more rock sugar as desired. Add in the fungus and simmer for five more minutes. Lastly, add in the goji berries and simmer for 1 minute.
Enjoy warm or cold.
