Papaya and Snow Fungus Sweet Soup

Method13 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Soak the 20 g dried snow fungus in clean water until fully expanded, about 20 minutes as the author guide. Check that it is pliable throughout; refrigerate if soaking needs to continue for more than 2 hours.

   Check expanded snow fungus · 20 minUses 20 g dried snow fungus · Clean water, for soaking snow fungus

2. 2

   Step 2: Drain the expanded snow fungus from step 1 and discard its soaking water. Rinse thoroughly in fresh clean water to remove grit, then drain.

   Uses Fungus only, excluding discarded soaking water · Clean water, for rinsing snow fungus

3. 3

   Step 3: Trim and discard the hard, dark-yellow base from the rinsed fungus in step 2. Tear the usable fungus into bite-sized pieces and keep ready.

   Uses Fungus only, excluding rinsing water

4. 4

   Step 4: Peel the ripe, firm papaya. Halve lengthwise, remove and discard the seeds, then rinse the flesh in clean water and drain.

   Uses 400–450 g ripe, firm papaya · Clean water, for rinsing peeled papaya

5. 5

   Step 5: Cut the drained papaya flesh from step 4 into chunks and keep ready.

   Uses Edible papaya only, excluding peel, seeds and rinsing water

6. 6

   Step 6: Remove the pits from the six red dates, rinse the date flesh, drain and keep ready.

   Uses 6 red dates · Clean water, for rinsing pitted red dates

7. 7

   Step 7: Wash the eight pandan leaves, fold them in half and tie into a knot. Keep the 15 g wolfberries dry for now; rinse them just before their addition in step 13.

   Uses 8 pandan leaves · Clean water, for washing pandan leaves

8. 8

   Step 8: Use culinary Nan Xing (20 g) and Bei Xing (15 g) intended for soup. Prepare the 20 g sweet and 15 g bitter kernels according to their product instructions, removing skin if required and soaking in clean water before cooking. Discard the soaking liquid, rinse and drain. Keep them for thorough boiling in the soup; do not taste them raw.

   Uses 20 g Nan Xing (southern sweet apricot kernels) · 15 g Bei Xing (northern bitter apricot kernels) · Clean water, for apricot-kernel soaking · Clean water, for rinsing soaked kernels

9. 9

   Step 9: Bring the measured 2 l fresh soup water to a full boil in a pot with room for the prepared foods.

   Uses 2 l water, for sweet soup

10. 10

    Step 10: Add the pandan bundle from step 7 to the boiling water from step 9. Boil for about 10 minutes, checking the pot and maintaining enough liquid.

    Remove pandan bundle · 10 minUses Boiling measured soup water · Pandan bundle only, excluding washing water

11. 11

    Step 11: Lift out and discard the pandan bundle from step 10, retaining the hot infused soup water in the pot.

    Uses Pandan bundle in infused soup water

12. 12

    Step 12: Add the trimmed snow fungus from step 3, drained prepared sweet and bitter kernels from step 8 and all the 70–80 g rock sugar to the infused water from step 11. Return to a full boil and maintain boiling over medium heat for about 35 minutes, with the kernels submerged and the sugar dissolved. Watch the pot and adjust the heat to maintain boiling.

    Add papaya and dates · 35 minUses Infused liquid only, excluding the discarded pandan bundle · Edible fungus only, excluding discarded base · Kernels only, excluding discarded soaking and rinsing water · 70–80 g rock sugar

13. 13

    Step 13: Rinse and drain the 15 g wolfberries now. Add them, the papaya chunks from step 5 and pitted dates from step 6 to the soup from step 12. Return to boiling and cook for another 15 minutes, until the foods are thoroughly cooked; the kernels receive 50 minutes of boiling across the two food phases. Serve hot, or cool promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate at 4°C or below for a chilled dessert.

    Check fully cooked sweet soup · 15 minUses Boiled fungus, apricot kernels and sweet soup · Papaya chunks · Date flesh only, excluding pits and rinsing water · 15 g wolfberries · Clean water, for rinsing wolfberries just before cooking