Recently, I read some articles talking about benefits of white fungus. It is full of collagen and very good to skin complexion...hehehe...
It is cheap and much better than expensive bird nest. So I decided to research more and try it out.
From Wikipedia:
Snow fungus
Snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis, 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 银耳 (pinyin: yín ěr; literally "silver ear"), 雪耳 (pinyin: xuě ěr; literally "snow ear"); or 白木耳 (pinyin: bái mù ěr, literally "white wood ear"), and in Japanese it is called shiro kikurage (シロキクラゲ, lit. "white tree jellyfish").
The fungus grows in frilly masses on trees and is off-white in color and very translucent.
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 (六味), often in combination with jujubes and dried longans, among other ingredients. It's also used as a component of a drink.
From other source:
White fungus contains much iron, vitamin C, calcium and phosphorus. The fat and gum like protein in it is especially nourishing to the body. It is considered a good supplement to the body. Stew white fungus with rock sugar lubricates the colon and stimulates peristalsis. Thus, it is a mild laxative for constipation patients. White fungus is also said to be effective in nourishing the lungs, healing dry cough and clearing heat in the lungs. Those who have weak lungs catch cold easily. Eating stewed white fungus with rock sugar and red dates helps strengthen the respiratory system and thus, helps prevent cold. But take this sweet soup before catching cold or after healing. Do not take it while having a cold. Skin gets dry when people reach the middle age. Eating white fungus, grape juice and black sesame sweet paste in the morning, afternoon and at night respectively is the best way to take care of your skin. They aid blood production and bring more circulation to the skin to give you a moisturized-complexion.
My Actions:
So, after I have been very convinced with the goods of white fungus, I bought a small packet of white fungus from the mini-mart last night. Then I soaked in water for more than 1/2 hour, but still quite hard :p (I wonder why).
Then I thought maybe after I cooked it, it will be soft. Okay, then I go ahead boiling the fungus....boil...boil...boil...till water also almost dry up dy...mmh still hard!? Add water...continue boil...boil..boil...
Even though the fungus is not very soft yet, I decided to stop boiling. I drained the fungus and minced it using the juicer. After that, I add the crushed fungus to 250ml of milk and went through the juicer again. I drank it. It is okay, can chew a bit of fungus...Anyway, this is my first try with fungus milk, so I dared not add too much fungus :p. But, overall, it is ok and I think it is better to make the fungus paste smoother!!! Will try again next time or make some dessert.
This is the fungus milk recipe:
護膚食譜》白木耳+低脂鮮奶+柳丁
多吃水果，對皮膚美白有很大的幫助。
【記者楊清雄／專題報導】
作法：
一、先將白木耳洗淨、泡在水裡，待軟化後，再放入鍋內、加水，以小火煮爛，撈起後置於陰涼處半小時。
二、將陰涼後的白木耳數朵連同鮮奶240㏄放入果汁機裡打汁，變成白木耳牛奶。
三、可加入一顆柳丁打汁，味道更豐富。
功效：白木耳富含膠原蛋白，鮮奶含有氨基酸與維生素B群，可以幫助皮膚涵養水分、修補組織。
吃法：可以當作早餐，搭配三明治或麵包食用。
