Snow Fungus Jujube Dessert Soup (Yin'er Tang, 银耳汤)
Ingredients
- 1 dried snow fungus
- 5 dried jujube (more if not Grade One)
- handful dried lotus seeds
- rock sugar (optional) to taste
- handful dried goji berries
Instructions
Prep
- Soak the snow fungus, root side down, in a separate bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes. While the snow fungus soaks, rinse the jujubes of any dust, then slice in half longways so it's easier to remove the pit once cooked. If preferred, you can core it now, but once it's cooked the pit removes much more cleanly.
- When the snow fungus has expanded and softened, rinse lightly and drain before continuing. Using kitchen shears, cut around the harder yellow root portion at the base of the fungus and discard. Tear the softened snow fungus into bite size pieces using your hands and set aside.
Cook
- In a large pot, add the snow fungus, halved dates, lotus seeds and a bit of rock sugar (if using) and cover with cold water. The amount is up to you. We fill a 5.5-quart dutch oven a little more than halfway, as we all enjoy the sweet soup and that always seems to run out first.
- Cover, bring to a boil and cook for a minute on high heat, then simmer on the lowest heat possible about 40-45 minutes, until the soup turns deep orange or sweetens to your liking. In the final 3-5 minutes of cooking, add the goji berries and more rock sugar to taste (if desired). The goji must cook long enough to soften, but will turn bitter if cooked too long. If the water gets too low after simmering, or if upon taste-testing you find it too sweet, you can add in additional boiling water at any stage.
- Serve immediately while warm, or leave to cool and chill in the fridge overnight for a refreshing summertime dessert.
Notes
In the final 5 minutes of cooking, to get more sweetness and flavor out of the jujubes, muddle them against the side of the pot with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir well.