This papaya and snow fungus sweet soup is great as a cold dessert. It helps to refresh the body in hot weather and is excellent after eating lots of deep fried foods.
The soup also has benefits for skin beauty. Papaya is an excellent source of vitamin C, A and B-complex, and contains soluble fibre, which helps to prevent constipation.
Papaya, red dates and dried longan fruits have their own natural sweetness, so you can leave the rock sugar out of this dessert soup, if you want to take less sugar.
TIP “Chinese almonds” are not almond nuts at all. “Chinese almonds” are the seeds of apricot fruit. The confusion is because they look and smell similar, and both are called 杏仁 “xingren” in Chinese.
There are two different kinds of “Chinese almonds” Bei Xing – or northern bitter Chinese almonds and Nan Xing – or southern sweet Chinese almonds. The sweet almond is usually used in food, while the bitter almonds are usually used in Chinese medicine.
Sweet almonds have a sweet taste and are neutral in nature. It is non-toxic and relieves dry cough. Bitter almonds taste bitter and are warm in nature. They’re slightly toxic, but are used in medicine to treat wet coughs. Children and pregnant women should avoid Chinese bitter almonds.
