Snow fungus

Trémelle blanche

What it is

It cannot grow alone: the jelly is a parasite that must meet a second fungus, an Annulohypoxylon, inside the wood before it will fruit, so growers inoculate both species into the same sawdust block. Fujian has done this at scale since the 1960s, which is why something once counted among the rarest banquet goods now costs almost nothing dried.

In the kitchen

Soak the dried ear two hours in cold water — it takes up six to eight times its weight — then cut out the hard yellow foot, which never softens. It carries no flavour of its own, so simmer it long in rock sugar and jujube and let it take the syrup.

Goes with

Chinese rock sugar Jujube Goji berry Lotus seed Pear Ginger Longan Osmanthus

Also used with

Cordyceps flower Lily bulb

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