This simple recipe was from my mother. Tremella and Jujube soup makes a lovely tonic and deliciously refreshing soup. This along with Venofer and iron supplementation has helped me deal with dryness due to anemia. My skin is definitely no longer as dull and dry, but much more hydrated. I don’t feel like I have to drink 2-3 liters of water just to stay hydrated.

Tremella is a mushroom with beauty benefits, helping to hydrate skin and improve inflammation. It’s been used traditionally in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) as a Yin Tonic, to help clear heat and dryness, and replenish fluids in the body (Yin deficiency). Tremella is also known as Silver Ear, Snow Mushroom or Yin Er (银耳).

Meanwhile, jujube, a type of fruit, has a ton of nutritional benefits, is high in antioxidants and is used traditionally in TCM for anemia.

From a foodie perspective, since tremella is fairly neutral in taste, the jujube provides the perfect bit of natural sweetness. The two also have a texture contrast, the tremella having a fun jelly like texture and the jujube tasting like a sweet date (even though apparently it’s from the buckthorn family!)

Recipe

Ingredients:

8 dried jujubes

1 dried tremella mushroom

Mr Fang’s Store is a brand with really high quality tremella and available to order online via Yamibuy. I am using their Premium Gutian Silver Fungus. Gutian is a place that is known for it’s tremella. However you can easily substitute for whatever dried tremella you are able to get near you. Dried tremella and jujube are fairly easy to come by online or at Chinese grocery stores.

Recipe step-by-step:

Prepare this the night before by soaking the entire tremella in water in a large deep bowl. Your tremella mushroom is going to absorb tons of water and you’ll watch it “grow” magically bigger the next day. Make sure the entire mushroom is submerged in water overnight for best results. Below is what the hydrated tremella looks like.

Next remove the yellowy “skin” on the back of the mushroom and separate the tremella mushroom into chunks with your fingers. It’s a bit like a cauliflower where you are just taking the florets. Put into a stockpot.

Wash your dried jujubes. A quick rinse under water will do! And add all 8 jujubes to the pot.

Add a ton of water enough so that all the tremella is submerged.

Bring to a boil. After that simmer for approximately 3 hours, until the tremella mushroom turns transparent and the jujube is fully cooked through.

Spoon into a bowl. Make sure you add 1-2 jujubes per bowl as well as the tremella and soup for the best taste balance. You can eat this soup hot or cold.

Makes approximately 7 bowls or servings. Keep any leftovers refrigerated.