FRUITY SNOW FUNGUS DESSERT

Snow fungus is one of the wobbly varieties of fungus that is commonly found on various types of trees especially in the Asian countries and also other warm climates across the globe. It is white in color and almost transparent. Snow fungus is commonly knows as wood ear and derives this name from its appearance on decomposing logs, which are an ideal breeding ground for this variety of mushroom. The superior quality of snow fungus, however, is light yellowish-white in color and feels like mucilage when touched. The Chinese and Japanese herbal medicine practitioners have been using snow fungus for over 2000 years now to heal various ailments. It is commonly used to enhance body liquids, to cure dry cough and also heart palpitations or the trembling nervous system. At the same time, snow fungus is commonly used as a stimulating herb and also as a beauty augmenting medicine. It is widely used for the betterment of the skin tone.

INGREDIENTS :

2 clumps snow fungus, soaked and divided into small florets
1 Korean Singho pear, peeled, cored and cut into 16 pieces
800 g papaya (almost ripe), peeled, removed seeds and cut into bite size
2 tbsp apricot kennels, washed
50 small red dates, pitted and washed
Brown rock sugar to taste



METHOD :

1. In a pot, pour 1.6 liters of water, add in red dates and apricot kernels, bring to boil and then simmer for 40 minutes.

2. Add in snow fungus and simmer for another 20 minutes or till it is soft but crunchy.

3. Add in pears and papaya pieces, bring the contents to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes or long if you like the fruits to be softer.

4. Sweetened the soup with rock sugar and served hot or cold.