Ep. 2 Snow Fungus and Barley Dessert Soup "Tong Sui"

Hello! This Episode 2 of my Cooling Tong Sui Series for Hot Weather! Snow Fungus with Barley - so refreshing, nourishes the skin and helps to cool internal body heat.

This first season of my Tong Sui Series features four recipes known for their natural cooling properties:

• Episode 1: Winter Melon with Luo Han Guo

• Episode 2: Snow Fungus with Barley

• + 2 more nourishing recipes coming soon
  

Snow Fungus with Barley Dessert Soup “Tong Sui”

Today, I’m sharing my recipe for Snow Fungus and Barley Tong Sui — a dessert soup that’s both tasty and good for cooling the body.

Snow fungus is great for nourishing the skin and help your body stay hydrated. It’s popularly known to improve complexion. It has a neutral flavour and absorbs the flavours from the other ingredients. After cooking, the snow fungus will turn into a soft, jelly-like texture that feels really soothing.

Barley adds a gentle chew and a mild unique fragrant flavor. It’s also cooling, making this soup a nice choice when you want something nourishing but light.

I usually add red dates to naturally sweeten the soup and support blood circulation.

The Snow Fungus Barley Tong Sui has a unique mild fragrance that comes from the barley and a pleasant mix of textures — soft jelly-like snow fungus and chewy barley. You can enjoy it warm for comfort or chilled to cool down on a hot day.

I hope you find this dessert as comforting and refreshing as I do.

How to choose Snow Fungus?

Snow Fungus (Tremella fuciformis), also known as white fungus, silver ear fungus, or 白木耳 (bái mù ěr) in Chinese, is a type of edible mushroom widely used in Chinese cuisine and traditional medicine.

There are 2 types of snow fungus categorised based on the texture after cooking. One remains crunchy and the other turns into into a soft jelly-like texture.

For this recipe, first you’ll want to choose the type that turns into a soft jelly-like texture.

Crunchy-type Snow Fungus: Appears denser, with thicker petals and a more compact structure. It is usually more yellowish or golden in color.