Snow Pear and Coix Seed Soup
Winter weather is relatively dry, making snow pears a popular choice during this season. Snow pears are known for nourishing the blood and promoting muscle growth. When cooked with coix seeds, tremella (silver ear fungus), and loquats, this soup is especially suitable for clearing heat, moistening the lungs, calming the mind, and relieving coughs after catching a chill in early winter. Furthermore, using a hollowed-out snow pear as the container makes the soup more authentic and flavorful.
Ingredients: 2 snow pears, 1 loquat, 25g each of coix seeds, fritillary bulb, arrowhead, and tremella (silver ear fungus), and a small amount of diced cucumber and cherry pieces.
Seasoning: Rock sugar water.
Instructions:
1. Rinse and soak the coix seeds, fritillary bulb, and tremella separately. Place the coix seeds and fritillary bulb in a bowl, steam them in a steamer until cooked, then add the tremella to the bowl with some water and steam until cooked.
2. Peel and wash the arrowhead, then dice it along with the fritillary bulb. Blanch the arrowhead in boiling water, then drain and let it cool. Wash and dice the cucumber. Wash the snow pears, cut off the top fifth to use as a lid, and carefully scoop out the pear flesh. Steam the pear shells, and squeeze the pear flesh to extract the juice, discarding any pulp.
3. Place all the prepared ingredients into the pear shells.
4. Mix the squeezed pear juice with mineral water and rock sugar water. Pour the mixture into the pear shells and serve.