White Fungus 银耳

For centuries, white fungus has been a popular staple of Chinese soups and desserts. Yang Guifei, one of the Four Great Beauties in ancient China, was said to have credited white fungus as the secret to her youthful appearance. It is also rich in dietary fibre, Vitamin D, minerals, and antioxidants.

Benefits:
● Moistens dry lungs
● Clears heat
● Replenishes fluids in the body
● Relieves dry cough, dry throat, and constipation
● Moisturises and deeply hydrates the skin inside-out
● Brightens skin complexion
● Slows down aging
● Lowers blood sugar and blood cholesterol
● Reduces inflammation

How to rehydrate dried white fungus:
Pre-soak the white fungus (root-down) in water. Soak for around half to one hour, till softened. Soak for a longer time if you prefer a softer texture. Once the white fungus has softened and expanded, rinse and drain off the water. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip off the hard yellow root that is on the underside of the fungus and discard it. Tear the softened white fungus into bite-sized pieces. Set them aside for cooking.

How to cook white fungus dessert soup:
Rinse all ingredients before cooking. Pre-soak 3 dried snow fungus. Add the pre-soaked fungus, 15 red dates (halved), 15 dried longans, and 30g of dried lotus seeds into a pot. Add sufficient water to cover all the ingredients. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer over low heat for an hour. Add a handful of goji berries and some rock sugar in the last 5 minutes of cooking before serving. Serve it warm. (Serving size: 4)

Best kept refrigerated.

White Fungus 银耳

Origin:
Szechuan, China