Chinese herbal medicine is all about dried herbs, fruits, and other plants being simmered for hours, creating a sweet or savory soup that is full of nutrients. Snow ear fungus dessert soup is known for its healing properties. It is reported to help with coughing. Recent studies may even suggest that snow ear fungus can promote immune functioning. Whatever the case, my family has always made this for me when I had a cold. This is my go-to natural cough remedy whenever I am feeling unwell. I have even started making it for my daughter when she catches a cold and has a cough. It is the Chinese equivalent to drinking chicken soup when you are sick. Trust me: it tastes a lot better than the name would suggest.
How to make snow ear fungus dessert soup
- You need a pressure cooker. Snow ear fungus is very fibrous and takes a long time to become soft and tender.
- Pressure cook the snow ear fungus and water for about 30 minutes. Cook the other elements separately on the stove.
- While the snow ear fungus is pressure cooking, simmer the Asian yellow pear, dried goji berries, dried jujubes, and rock sugar.
- Cool down the pressure cooker by putting it under your kitchen sink and running it under cold water with your faucet. Once it is depressurized, open the lid and combine snow ear fungus with the Asian pear mix.
- Turn off all heat, then add honey to taste.
Snow Ear Fungus Dessert Soup
A healing sweet dessert soup of snow ear fungus, Asian yellow pear, goji berries, jujubes, and honey.
Ingredients
For the pressure cooker
- 2 quarts water
- 1 bunch snow ear fungus
- 1/4 cup rock sugar
For simmering on the stove
- 3 quarts water
- 2 Asian yellow pear peeled, cored, and quartered
- 1 handful goji berries drinsed
- 10 dried jujubes rinsed
- 1/2 cup honey
Instructions
For Snow Fungus
- Take 1 bunch/handful of dried snow ear fungus. Soak it in drinking water for 10 minutes, submerging it completely in the water.
- Once snow ear fungus is rehydrated, cut the stem off the bottom and discard. It is the darker orange base at the bottom of the bunch of snow ear fungus. Then add the remaining snow ear fungus into the pressure cooker and add 2 quarts of drinking water and rock sugar.
- Closed the lid of the pressure cooker following the instructions of your pressure cooker. Then boil on high heat until the pressure cooker begins to whistle, about 15 minutes. At that point, reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Allow the simmer in the pressure cooker for a total of 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove pressure cooker from stovetop, and rinse the top with cold water. When the pressure cooker depressurizes, you may remove the lid safely.
For Asian pear dessert soup
- Place a large stockpot on the stove to boil on high. Add in 3 quarts of water. Then add in Asian pear, rinsed jujubes, and rinsed goji berries.
- Bring the water to a boil, then simmer on medium low for about 30 minutes, until the Asian pear is fork tender.
- Turn off the heat for the Asian pear dessert soup.
Combining the two
- Combine the snow ear fungus mixture with the Asian pear mixture. Make sure that the heat is off. Then add in honey to taste. The dessert soup should be just slightly sweet and not overly sweet. Optional: add in agave
