White Fungus Soup

Most Asian stores pack snow fungus. There is no substitute I know for this ingredients, and given its long shelf life and wonderful flavor, not to mention wonderful nutritional profile, should you try to replace it.

White Fungus Soup (based on this recipe)

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time:

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 package snow fungus

6 cups chicken broth

2 browned and shredded chicken breasts

1 cup peas

white pepper

Preparation:

Soak the fungus in warm water for fifteen minutes. Drain, place into a pot covered in water and bring to a boil. Boil it until it gets soft (around fifteen minutes). When it's finished, drain, and trim the "petals" from the hard inner body. Chopped the fungus into small pieces.

Cooking:

Heat the chicken broth and add the chicken, peas, snow fungus, and white pepper. Serve immediately.

Flowering Chives

This wonderful recipe utilizes flowering chives. You can find these in some Asian markets, or if you grow your own just take advantage of the flowers instead of discarding them!

Flowering Chives (based on this recipe)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 bunches flowering chives

2 tbsp light soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)

2 tbsp chicken broth or water

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp peanut oil (or canola oil)

1 tsp corn starch mixed with 4 tsp water

Substitutions:

flowering chives - chives

Preparation:

Chop up chives with a diagonal cut into 2 inch pieces (do not discard the flowers as you would for most recipes, they impart a distinct flavor in this one).

Cooking:

Heat a wok with the 2 tbsp oil. Wen oil is hot, add the flowering chives. Stir fry for 1 minutes, or until they turn a brighter green. Remove the chives and set them to the side.

Mix the other ingredients and add them to the wok. When mixed, add the cives back to the wok, and heat until sauce boils. Then remove from heat and serve immediately.

Chapter 23 : Cantonese (China)

Perhaps no cuisine has inspired as many retaurants as Chinese, altough there's almost no relation between actual Chinese foods and what is served at Mr. Lee's Best Szechuan Wok with its wonderfully greasy crab rangoon.

Now, we did explore Chinese food before, way back in Chapter 1. However, as we did so it was painfully apparent that while two weeks of attempted home cooking isn't enough to explore any cuisine, it doesn't even let us scratch the surface of the many regions of China.

Unfortunately, two weeks also isn't enough to figure outt he basics of even Cantonese cuisine, but we did what we could and we do have some interesting recipes for you, but before you jump in let me warn you: you're going to be doing a lot of steaming. And a wok wouldn't hurt.

Attack of the Snow Fungus!

Of the many odd foods our journey has taken it, perhaps no name has generated so much shock as "snow fungus". An entire "fruiting body"of snow fungus vaguely resembles a human brain, white and full of folds, and it has a spongy, gelatinous texture. The snow fungus is found on trees, but it doesn't feed on the wood, in fact it feeds on other fungus, devouring its brethren to grow. This bizarre member of the same family that gives us yeast and mushrooms, its seaweed-like branches reach outward several inches from its host. Clearly, it is not of this world!

Snow fungus can be found dried in Chinese and other Asian grocery stores looking like dried, slightly yellowed balls of... stuff. Once reconstituted it is oddly flavorless, ye pleasant. One could feel as if chewing on nothing, but a jelly-textured nothing. It is valued in Chinese medicine, and nutritionally rich in vitamins, minerals, and protein, and can be used in a variety of ways. Most often, it is used for deserts and soups, although it is pictured above as an entree, cooked with shredded chicken, sesame chili oil, and an unflavored one adorns the rice (with enoki and oyster mushrooms as sides). Adapted from this recipe, which I'm not entirely sure we understood, but nevertheless delicious, here is a fantastic way to enjoy this spongy food.

Snow Fungus and Shredded Chicken

1 Chicken Breasts, grilled
1 oz Snow Fungus
1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil
1/2 tbsp Sesame Chili Oil
1/2 tsp Powdered Chicken Base
2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce (light in color, not salt)
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Sesame Seeds

Step 1: Soak the Snow Fungus in water for an hour.

Step 2: Rinse off, and then remove the tough center. Then shred the Snow Fungus into pieces.

Step 3: Boil the Snow Fungus for 10 minutes. Drain well.

Step 4: Wile the Fungus is boiling, grill a chicken breast. Any method will do, we used a Foreman Grill. Shred the chicken when finished.

Step 5: Mix the Snow Fungus and Sesame Oil, Sesame Chili Oil, Chicken Base, Light Soy Sauce, Sugar, Salt, and Lemon Juice. Light stand for 5 minutes, then mix in shredded chicken.

The result will be a delicious, spongy feast, which is far more filling than you might expect, so don't let the name throw you off this delightful food.

Next Time: Sean and Katrina confront the great purple vegetable, the terrifying Eggplant!