Dessert - Snow Fungus, Ginkgo and Barley Drink Dessert
Snow Fungus, Ginkgo and Barley Drink Dessert (serves 2-3)
Ingredients:
-About 2-3 pieces snow fungus, soaked in water before usage
-About 1 cup pearl barley, washed
-Few pieces of ginkgo nuts, fresh or canned, with inner seeds removed
-Honey dates and/or rock sugar (ratio adjusted accordingly to your ingredient availability or liking)
-Pandan leaves, knotted (option)
-Water, quantity based on ingredients
Method:
1. Place all the ingredients in slow-cooker, and pour in water till ingredients are submerged
2. On high heat ~45mins-1hr till barley and fungus are cooked, then turn to low heat 1-2hrs to allow ingredients and textures to soften and flavors to infuse. If not sweet, add in more rock sugar, to taste
3. Can be served warm or cold
More about the ingredients:
All three ingredients (snow fungus, ginkgo and barley) can be used in sweet and savory cuisines.
Snow fungus :Practically tasteless, but prized for its jelly-like and crunchy texture. You can see them in sweet soups and desserts such as doubled boiled papaya and snow fungus (木瓜炖雪耳 ); and savory dishes such as doubled-boiled chicken soups. The wood ear/black fungus is another fungus species that can be used in stir-frys.
Barley: Pearl barley(above) or pearled barley is hulled barley which has been processed further to remove the bran. It may be polished, a process known as "pearling". Barley can be used in savory stews and soups, such as chicken stew and minestrone soup. But more common is the sweet barley drink/water- a good diuretic which is known to quench the thirst and expel toxins from the body.
Ginkgo : Expensive ingredient (due to labor intensiveness to crack the hard shell of each nut, removing the thin skin, and removing the young shoot that is usually bitter. So, usually what you eat is just the sweet flesh of ginkgo nuts. There are claims that ginkgo improves memory (it remains to be proven), and there are side-effects too. Usually used in sweet desserts - a popular dessert is barley, soya beancurd sheets(a.k.a foo chuk, in Cantonese) and ginkgo nut drink (can be almond-milky-based, or clear soup-like base). Due to their hint of sweetness, it complements well in a savory dish like this too. And it can be real yummy refreshing!
Related savory dishes:
Stir fry scallops and asparagus with ginkgo
Stir fry vegetables medley
Tag: desserts, tong sui, snow fungus, barley, ginkgo
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Hey Tigerfish,
ReplyDeleteHow 'bout you add some Rasa Malaysia's taro and make a nice Teo Chow dessert for me? ;)
i didn't know ginkgo can be used in savory dish! I am so ignorant :P
ReplyDeleteI was told not to eat more than 5 gingko nuts per serving because of the side effects. Anyway, just eat it in moderation.
ReplyDeletefirehorse, you blur lah, I am not the one ler. That's means you still have a reader's qns unanswered. WOo-hoo!
ReplyDeletewandering chopsticks, i think can only add the ginkgo into RM's taro dessert to make it teochew-style? If I do make it, I will make extra...kekeke :)
ReplyDeletenovice baker, yes they can, just not so often. Chawanmushi ...there's ginkgo in it as well. I'm learning new things too, in food sites, every now and then :)
ReplyDeleteECL, yes, I heard about it too. I think it was definitely more than 5 ginkgo nuts per serving in that stir fry and that dessert. How?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the side effects of ginkgo nuts?
ReplyDeleteI cooked white fungus today too!! But mine was in the soup.
ReplyDeletewokandspoon, the raw gametophyte (meat) of the seed may cause poisoning, plus other effects such as blood disorder etc. A lot of info. in the net but most of just claims. Not really proven.
ReplyDeletelydia, was it savory chicken soup? Hahaha....we bought the same ingredient :)
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favourite desserts! But yours looks much better compared to the commercially available ones here. That's the advantage of making it at home, I guess.
ReplyDeletedie lor. hahahha.....
ReplyDeletelyrical lemongrass, think you prefer the foo chuk one, right? I like that too, but it's easier with the snow fungus :) I took the easy way out.
ReplyDeleteECL, 幸灾乐祸, you...
ReplyDeleteTiga - help! I got some gingko nuts back from Malaysia but do not know how to crack open the shells without smashing the seed. They are all cacat after I cracked the shells. :(
ReplyDeleteAlamak! RM-mine are fresh ones (store-bought) already seeds removed. I also dunno! Jialat! Hammer is good,力道要足 but you cannot hit too hard, I guess.
ReplyDeleteRM - why bring the shells with you too? Adds on to the weight.
ReplyDeleteI use a pestle to gently knock it at the tip, the pointed part and it would crack. Then gently tap along the crack until it opens. Tedious work. My kids do it well. :)
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