DELICIOUS DESSERTS WITHOUT THE GUILT

Dessert is the perfect end to a perfect meal, but the happiness created by eggs, sugar and butter can bring guilt, especially in the summer which officially began last weekend.

Some Chinese desserts are known for being low-fat and worry-free, like sweet potato soup, papaya with white fungus and almond tofu. Cooked without butter, eggs or cream, the soup-style desserts also contain less sugar and boast health benefits.

Some traditional Chinese ingredients like peach gum or honey locust seeds have become more popular especially among women. They may sound and look peculiar, but the unique taste, texture and health benefits have won the hearts of many people, and you can find them in many Chinese restaurants.

Peach gum

Peach gum, or is an ingredient secreted from the bark of peach trees. It’s also known as “tears of peach blossom” in China because of their amber crystal-like appearance.

The peach gum, sold as a dried product, has irregular shapes and sizes as well as different color tones and clarity.

It’s considered neutral in traditional Chinese medicine with properties including harmonizing the spleen and stomach, tonifying and activating the blood as well as alleviating pain. Also rich in collagen, the nourishing peach gum is considered a beauty regime by women in China.

The peach gum has minimal flavors by itself other than a hint of woody taste, so it’s always cooked with other ingredients. It’s eaten for the health benefits as well as the interesting jelly-like texture.

For beginners, peach gum is not an easy ingredient to deal with. In order for the dried drops to regain moisture, they need to be soaked in cold water for at least 12 hours, then all the impurities carefully removed from the softened gum. Together with other ingredients, peach gum needs to be stewed on a low heat for more than an hour to achieve the ideal taste.

A classic recipe is a stew of peach gum, white fungus and jujube. Both the peach gum and white fungus can thicken the soup, and the jujube adds the sweet and fruity flavors. The white fungus is a cheaper and more eco-friendly replacement of the traditional luxury ingredients like Chinese forest frog or bird’s nest.

Peach gum can also be stewed in milk with dried jujube and longan for a creamier and richer taste.