Sweet Red Date Soup with Lotus Seeds
This is both a popular Chinese dessert soup and a traditional Chinese herbal remedy for high blood pressure, arterioscelorsis, insomnia and immune deficiency. All the ingredients are important items in the Chinese herbal pharmocopeia, and together they provide a potent tonic boost to the human energy system. According to Chinese lore, this soup should be served hot; eating it cold counteracts the medicinal benefits.
3 whole florets white (wood ear) fungus, soaked in cool water for 1 hour
30 dried white lotus seeds, soaked in cool water overnight
12 dried red dates or jujubes, washed and pits removed
1½ liters (6 cups) water
75 g (½ cup) rock crystal sugar
1 Drain the white fungus, trim, and discard the tough bases. Shred and set aside.
2 Drain the lotus seeds and place in a large pot with the red dates, white fungus and water.
3 Bring to a boil, then add the rock sugar. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1 hour.
4 Adjust for sweetness, if necessary. Transfer the soup to a tureen or ladle into individual serving bowls. Serve hot.
Dried red dates, are also known as Chinese jujubes, or hong zao in Mandarin, are the size of olives and although sour when raw, they are sweet when ripe and dried. Red dates are often eaten during Chinese New Year.
Serves 4
Preparation time: overnight soaking
Cooking time: 1½ hours