Black Sesame Soup

I find myself craving black sesame soup when the weather gets cold. It’s extremely comforting, and nutritious, and warms you from the inside out.

Black sesame is a popular ingredient used in many Asian desserts. The Chinese believe that eating black sesame promotes healthy hair and healthy bones. You’ll find them in ice cream, blended into hot drinks, baked as a paste into bread, or stuffed into dim sum in all shapes and sizes. 

The jujube here is added for nutritional benefits. Known as the beauty fruit in China — jujube is full of minerals, fiber and adds a natural sweetness to dishes. 

Black Sesame Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp (30 g) glutinous rice

1/2 cup (75 g) toasted black sesame seeds*

4 tbsp sugar or sweetener of choice, to taste

6 jujube dates, pitted (optional)*

2 cups (480 g) water

Instructions

  1. Rinse the glutinous rice and soak for 3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

  2. Drain the glutinous rice and add to the blender with sesame seeds, jujube dates, and 2 cups of water. Blend on high until very smooth.

  3. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized pot. Heat over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly to prevent the bottom from burning. When the soup starts to bubble, add the sugar to taste. Continue cooking to your desired consistency (I like this soup on the thick side). Garnish with goji berries and serve warm.

Cooking notes:

  1. You can use raw black sesame seeds if you’re not able to find toasted ones. Just toast them for 10 minutes until the seeds start to pop.

  2. The jujube here is added for nutritional value and for a hint of sweetness. Feel free to omit it if it is not something you have in your pantry.

  3. It’s very important to stir and keep an eye on the soup to prevent the bottom from burning. The glutinous rice will thicken rapidly and stick to the bottom as you cook.

  4. This soup will keep in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 1 month. The layers will separate so give it a stir before serving.

Snow Fungus Dessert Soup

This is an incredibly healthy + nourishing sweet soup we eat in Asia all year round. It’s served from street-side dessert shops to high-end buffet places as a light dessert after a big feast. The nutritional benefits of this soup are endless. To those who have never tried snow fungus — it’s also known as Silver Ear Mushroom. The name is a lot more intimidating than the taste, which resembles and soft jelly. You can pick it up at Asian grocery stores in dried packets. Look for snow fungus that is yellow in color, as the white ones might have been bleached.

Snow fungus is full of Vitamin  D and collagen that gives you plump skin. Red jujube (dates) is the most popular beauty fruit for Asian women. When I lived in China — I had friends who would religiously eat eight per day!

Benefits from these ingredients include:

  • Red Dates — lots of vitamin C, iron, and minerals. Great for your immune system

  • Rock Sugar — good for healthy lungs, soothing to the stomach

  • Dried Longan — warming, builds an appetite, helps with insomnia, and is great for your skin

  • Lily Bulb — detoxes your body, good for blood flow and immune system

  • Lotus Seeds — Lowers blood pressure and is good for your heart

  • Dried snow fungus and ingredients

Dried snow fungus and ingredients

Snow Fungus with Lotus Seed Soup 冰糖银耳莲子湯

Serves 6 | prep time: 30 mins | cooking time: 2-hours stove top, 30-mins instant pot

Ingredients

  • 30 grams dried snow fungus 

  • 80 grams Lotus seeds 

  • 50 grams Red dates

  • 30 grams Lily bulb (optional)

  • 20 grams dried Longan (optional)

  • Rock sugar or any mild sugar of choice, to taste

Instructions

  1. Soak the snow fungus, lotus seeds, and lily bulb for 1 hour or overnight. Remove the stem and tough parts of the snow fungus and cut them into small pieces. If there are lotus hearts in the lotus seeds – remove them as they are bitter in taste.

  2. Rinse the red dates, goji berries, and set aside.

  3. In a pot over medium-high heat, add water, snow fungus, lotus seeds, and goji berries. After the soup comes to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1-2 hours.* The snow fungus will soften and the soup will become gelatinous and jelly-like. If the snow fungus tastes crunchy, continue cooking until it softens.

  4. Add the rock sugar to taste and stir to dissolve. Serve straight away or chilled.

Cooking notes:

  1. For Instant Pot, add everything into the pot, seal, and set on high for 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

  2. For winter, I added a small handful of dried longan to add heat to the soup. You can add it in step 3 with all of the ingredients.