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Snow Fungus Soup Recipe

Snow Fungus Soup Recipe

I grew up drinking this lightly sweet Snow Fungus Soup whenever I had a cough — it’s soothing, nourishing, and lovely hot or cold. This version uses Asian pear, lotus seeds, lily bulbs, apricot kernels (north & south), goji berries, and rock sugar. It’s simple, comforting, and full of gentle flavor.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 6 People
Course: Dessert, Soup
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese-inspired, Chinese, Singaporean, Asian
Calories: 180
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 oz dried snow fungus rehydrated; tough core removed; torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 Asian pear peeled core removed, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1/3 cup dried lotus seeds soaked; sprouts removed
  • 1/3 cup dried lily bulbs soaked
  • 1 tbsp dried south almonds sweet apricot kernels use as listed
  • 5 pieces dried north almonds bitter apricot kernels use exactly amount — bitter if too many
  • 1 –2 tbsp dried goji berries rinsed
  • 3 –4 oz rock sugar or less white sugar to taste
  • 8 cups water add more during cooking if needed

Equipment

  • 1 Large soup pot for simmering the soup
  • 1 Soaking bowl to rehydrate dried ingredients
  • 1 Pair of scissors to trim the tough snow fungus core
  • 1 Peeler for peeling the pear
  • 1 Knife for cutting ingredients
  • 1 Cutting board for prep work

Method
 

Step 1
  1. Rinse the dried lotus seeds, dried lily bulbs, south almonds, and north almonds. Put them in a bowl with about 1 cup hot water, cover, and let rehydrate for ~1 hour until the lotus seeds are soft enough to split.
Step 2
  1. In a separate bowl, soak the dried snow fungus in room-temperature water for about 5 minutes until puffed. Drain, trim off the tough round core with scissors, then tear the fungus into bite-sized pieces.
Step 3
  1. Split the rehydrated lotus seeds and remove any green sprouts in the center (they can be bitter). Save the soaking water — it’s good to add to the soup.
Step 4
  1. Peel the Asian pear, remove the core, and cut into 1-inch chunks.
Step 5
  1. In your large soup pot, add the rehydrated lotus seeds, lily bulbs, south and north almonds, the soaking water, and the pear chunks. Pour in 8 cups of fresh water.
Step 6
  1. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer about 45 minutes, or until the lotus seeds and lily bulbs are softened to your liking. Add water if too much evaporates.
Step 7
  1. Add the snow fungus, goji berries, and rock sugar. Simmer another 5–10 minutes so the fungus turns plump and the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust sweetness.
Step 8
  1. Serve warm or chill and enjoy cold. Leftovers keep 3–4 days in the fridge and thicken pleasantly as they cool.

Notes

  • Snow fungus expands a lot — a little goes a long way.
  • Remove lotus seed sprouts carefully to avoid bitterness.
  • Rock sugar gives a mellow sweetness; reduce if using white sugar.
  • If you don’t have Asian pear, half a papaya works as a substitute for sweetness.
  • North apricot kernels are bitter and mildly toxic in large amounts — do not increase that quantity.