Scarlett WPumpkin Snow Fungus Cake
December 6th 2007 13:29
Pumpkin Snow Fungus Cake
About Pumpkin
Pumpkin refers to a fruit and although native to the Western hemisphere, they are cultivated in North America, continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India and some other countries.
About Snow Fungus
Snow Fungus (also known as white fungus or silver tree-ear fungus) is a type of jelly fungus (a kind of mushroom) that is used in Chinese cuisine. In Chinese, it is called yín ĕr, literally “silver ear” or bái mù ĕr, literally “white wood ear”, and in Japanese it is called shiro kikurage, literally “white tree jellyfish”.
The product is often purchased dried and must be soaked before use. It is used in both savory and sweet dishes. While tasteless, it is enjoyed for its jelly-like texture as well as its supposed medicinal benefits. Most commonly, it is used to make a sweet dessert soup called luk mei, often in combination with ju jubes and dried longans, among other ingredients.
About Longan
The Longan, in Chinese, is called lóngyăn, and in Cantonese it is called lont-ngan, literally “dragon eye”. It is a tropical tree native to southern China. It is also found in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. It is also called guiyuan in Chines, lengkeng in Indonesia, mata kucing in Malaysia, and quånhãn in Vietnamese.
The tree is very sensitive to frost. Longan trees require sandy soil and temperatures that do not typically go below 4.5ºC (40ºF). Longans and lychees bear fruit at around the same time of the year.
The longan (“dragon eyes”) is so named because of the fruit’s resemblance to an eyeball when it is shelled (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a pupil / iris). Dried longan (Chinese called yuánròu, literally “round meat”) are often used in Chinese cuisine, Chinese food therapy and herbal medicine and Chinese sweet dessert soups. In contrast with the fresh fruit, the flesh of dried longans is dark brown to almost black.
The fruit is edible, and is often used in East Asian soups, snacks, dessert, and sweet-and-sour foods. They are round with a thin, brown-coloured inedible shell. The flesh of the fruit, which surrounds a big, black seed, is translucent white, soft, and juicy.
INGREDIENTS
100 gm pumpkin, seed, peel and dice
1 piece white fungus, shred
5 pieces dried longans, cut into halves
3 pieces red dates, stone and dice
5 gm agar-agar
1 sheet gelatin sheet
1000 ml water
rock sugar to taste
1. Put 1000 ml of water into a large saucepan and bring to the heavy boil.
2. Add shredded agar-agar, stir continuously until dissolved.
3. Add diced pumpkin, dried longans, white fungus and red dates, cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, soak gelatin sheet in cold water until softened, melt over hot water bath.
5. Meanwhile, add rock sugar in the agar-agar mixture and cook until dissolved.
6. Then add in the liquidized gelatin and mix well.
7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared individual jelly moulds. Leave to cool, then chill until set and ready to unmould and serve.
Tips:
Agar-agar is fat-free, low in calories and carries sweet taste. Want agar-agar to dissolve faster? Shred before melting.
**From “Next Magazine 924” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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