Snow Fungus Barley Dessert Soup
A lightly sweet Chinese dessert soup with snow fungus, pearl barley, red dates and pandan leaves. Enjoy it warm or chilled.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 10 grams snow fungus (10克雪耳)
- 60 grams pearl barley, about 1/3 cup (60克（1/3杯）洋薏米)
- 80-120 grams rock sugar, to taste (80-120克冰糖，按口味调整)
- 2-3 pandan leaves (2-3片香兰叶)
- 3-4 red dates, seeds removed (3-4颗红枣，去籽)
- 2500 ml water (2500毫升水)
Instructions
1. Prepare the Snow Fungus
- First, give the snow fungus a good rinse, then soak it in water for about 20 minutes until it turns soft, plump and doubles in size.
- Squeeze out the excess water, then cut off and discard the hard base, as it won't soften during cooking.
- Cut the snow fungus into smaller pieces and set aside.
2. Prepare the Barley, Pandan and Red Dates
- Rinse the pearl barley well and drain.
- Rinse the pandan leaves, then twist them to release their aroma.
- Rinse the red dates, remove the seeds and set them aside for later.
3. Simmer
- Place the barley, snow fungus and pandan leaves in a pot, pour in the water and bring to a boil.
- Then reduce to low heat and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours, until the barley is soft and slightly chewy.
4. Sweeten
- Once the barley is cooked, add the rock sugar and red dates, and simmer for another 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
- Taste, and add a little more rock sugar if you prefer it sweeter.
5. Serve
- Finally, remove the pandan leaves. Serve warm, or chill it in the fridge if you prefer it cold.
Video
Notes
- Choose the soft type of snow fungus. Its petals are thinner, more delicate and more translucent than the hard type. If you're not sure, ask at a Chinese herbal shop.
- Remove any black spots. If there are black spots on the snow fungus, remove them.
- Discard the hard base. It won't soften, even after hours of simmering.
- Twist the pandan leaves. This releases their aroma. If you can't find pandan, you can leave it out.
- Add the red dates at the end. This keeps their flavour subtle, and they stay sweet enough to eat.
- For a jelly-like texture, simmer longer. After 2 hours the snow fungus can still be slightly crunchy. Keep simmering until it reaches the texture you like, and top up with hot water if the soup gets too thick.