Chinese
Vegan
Gluten freeYin er tang (snow fungus sweet soup)
银耳汤 · Fujian's silky silver-ear fungus soup with goji, red dates and lotus seeds
Gutian county in Fujian grows most of the world's snow fungus, a frilly white dried fungus that softens into a soft, jelly-like tangle when simmered. Mothers across southern China cook it into a lightly sweet soup with red dates, lotus seeds and goji, served warm in winter and chilled in summer, and it is thought good for the skin and for dry autumn coughs. Done well, the liquid turns thick and glossy on its own. The common mistake is not simmering long enough: under an hour the fungus stays crunchy and the soup thin. Chef's tip: tear the soaked fungus into small pieces and cut away the hard yellow base; the smaller the pieces, the more body the soup gets.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 120 kcal
Ingredients
- ⅔ oz dried snow fungus (white fungus)about 1 head
- 1 ⅜ oz dried lotus seedssplit, green cores removed
- 8 dried red dates (jujubes)slit open
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 2 ⅛ oz rock sugarto taste
- 1 tbsp dried goji berries
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Soak ⅔ oz dried snow fungus (white fungus) in plenty of cold water for 30 minutes, until it swells and turns soft and pale. At the same time, soak 1 ⅜ oz dried lotus seeds in a separate bowl.
30 minStep 2: Cut away the hard yellowish base from the fungus and tear the rest into small pieces, about 2 cm.
Step 3: Put the fungus, drained lotus seeds, 8 dried red dates (jujubes) and 6 ¼ cups water in a large pan. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour, stirring now and then.
65 minStep 4: Add 2 ⅛ oz rock sugar and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes more, until the soup has turned slightly thick and glossy and the fungus is soft and slippery.
20 minStep 5: Add 1 tbsp dried goji berries for the last 3 minutes, just until plump; longer and they go sour. Serve warm, or chill and eat cold.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does yin er tang (snow fungus sweet soup) take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of rock sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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