Peach Gum & Snow Lotus Seed Dessert Soup Recipe (桃胶雪莲子糖水) :
“Easy to cook, best to eat for its complexion and health benefits. 简单煮，人人爱的美容养颜圣品!”
A nourishing dessert soup that even Empress Dowager Cixi loved and had it as breakfast snacks on daily basis… Who elses not!
连慈禧太后都爱好的日常美容圣品…… 谁能不爱呢！
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
50g dried peach gum
20g snow lotus seed
20g dried lily bulbs
2pcs honey dates
3-5pcs red dates, deseed & sliced
2 tablespoons honey
1 pot water
供2-3人份量
材料：
50g 干桃胶
20g 雪莲子 (皂角米)
20g 干百合
2颗 蜜棗
3-5颗 红枣，去籽切片
2汤匙 蜂蜜
1锅 水
Method:
Soak peach gum and lily bulbs separately in tap water overnight, or hot water for few hours until peach gum softened and expanded, lily bulbs turned softer. Use pincer to remove impurities in peach gum. Add all ingredients (except honey) into a pot. Add enough water (double the height of ingredients), high heat to boil. Lower heat and continue simmer for 30min. The dates should have already sweetened the dessert soup, but stirring in honey after heat off will make the dessert taste even more flavorful and enhance the nutritional value.
If you do not want to cook on direct fire, double boiling of at least 2 hours is fine.
做法：
先将干桃胶和干百合分别浸常温水过夜，或热水至桃胶浸软发大，百合也变较软为止。用夹子捡去桃胶里的杂质后，把所有材料（除蜂蜜之外）放进锅里。加入足够的水，大火把把水煮开后，转慢火煮30分钟左右。红枣和甜棗的自然甜度足够甜了，熄火后，拌入蜂蜜可增添甜度和营养价值。
不想直接火炉煮，可以用炖盅炖至少2小时。
It will remain rubbery with insufficient cooking or soaking time.
Peach Gum: Peach gum is plant base. Its consistency is soft and smooth, after long cooking. Peach gum has a mouthfeel that pretty much resembles snow hashima without the “fishy” taste. Colour is translucently golden, very beautiful. Peach gum’s nutritional value is comparable with bird nest, but in a much more affordable way.
Snow Lotus Seed: Snow Lotus is also plant base. It will appear opaque white in color after cooked. Its consistency is soft and gluey to eat, after long cooking. Helps to increase blood invigoration, nourish liver, eliminate pleghm, regulate menstruation, protect completion, fight against aging, in general. Love the gluey yet chewy mouthfeel. It’s almost tasteless, and thus, blend well in any form of dishes.
Lily Bulb: Lily bulbs are good to nourish lungs, I would add this to most of my dessert cookings during this pandemic period, to help strengthen my body immunity and nourish my lungs, so as to reduce heatiness during this hot weather.
1 large serving of this goodness is less than 100kcal. It is delicious in both chilled and hot servings. Dieters, it’s for you! Just keep it simple, you will enjoy it daily.
桃胶:属植物性。烹调后，口感软嫩，犹如除去腥味的雪蛤！晶莹剔透的颜色，赏心悦目。营养价值媲美燕窝，但价格却便宜实惠的多了。人称”平民燕窝”并不无道理。
雪莲子：也是植物性。煮熟后，呈白透明色。非常喜欢雪莲子的软糯口感，又有嚼劲。功效甚广，皆能提神补气、清肝明目、健脾祛痰、调适女人月事，润肤养颜、不等。
百合：据说清肺润肺功效甚佳。非常适合在这非典紧要时期常用来增强免疫力，提高肺部功能。也十分适合在热天消暑解渴食用。
1大碗也不到100大卡！桃胶糖水，冷热皆宜。姐妹们，还等什么…… 简简单单就好，天天都能喝到。
Tips: Measurement of the ingredients is not fixed, add as much or little as you like. As for water, usually add until all ingredients are fully covered and above 2-3 inches, or more, if you like more soup.
* Other than lily bulbs, may choose to add other goodness that is great for lung nourishment eg snow fungus, snow pear or green papaya, too. It’s up to individual.
* Dried lily bulb to be soaked in water overnight, or pre-cook it for long hours until it turns soft. Otherwise, it will remain hard.
* If you intend to cook in large portion, you may keep the balance in fridge to enjoy it within the next 5 days.
温馨提示：份量不拘，喜欢便多加，或减少。水的份量也一样，通常水能盖过材料的2-3寸以上便行，多加水也无妨。
* 可自选配搭不同配料如雪耳，雪梨，青木瓜。都是清肺润肺良好的食材。
* 干百合必须浸泡较长时间，或者先分开煮软……不然太硬不好吃。
* 煮太多的话，没问题。盛入有盖容器，放进冰箱，5天内食用。
If you like this dish, you might also like my Lung Nourishing Coconut White Fungus Herbal Chicken Soup (润肺椰子白木耳药材鸡汤)