Peach Gum Tong Sui (Chinese Cooling Dessert)

Steps

1. 1

   Soak the dried peach gum in a large bowl of water overnight. It will expand significantly (up to 10 times its size) into jelly-like jewels. Once soaked, pick out any black impurities or bark from the resin and rinse thoroughly.

2. 2

   Soak the dried snow fungus in water until softened, then trim away the hard yellow core and tear the fungus into smaller florets.

3. 3

   In a large pot, combine 2 liters of water with the red dates, dried longan, goji berries, snow fungus, and rock sugar.

4. 4

   Add half of the soaked peach gum to the pot. The author recommends adding only half at this stage because long simmering can cause the peach gum to melt into the water, which thickens the soup but loses the texture of the 'jewels'.

5. 5

   Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. The snow fungus should become soft and the liquid slightly thickened.

6. 6

   Add the remaining half of the peach gum toward the end of the cooking process to ensure there are still whole, bouncy pieces of gum to eat.

7. 7

   Serve the dessert warm or chilled.