A Beauty Secret You Can Eat

Has anyone else seen this white fungus sweet soup all over the internet lately? Ever since I discovered it, that's all I see coming up on my feeds.

My friend S made it for dessert after dinner one night (yes, the same person who inspired the Sweet MiIk Tea recipe without sugar or dairy). I looked at it. Decided it probably wouldn't kill me. Started eating, tentatively and politely. Edible, I thought. Won't replace a triple-layer chocolate cake.

"It's good for your skin!" S announced triumphantly. There were things floating in the soup I couldn't identify. A base of tremella or white fungus, apparently, red dates, lotus seeds, longan fruit, Asian pear, goji berries.

A few weeks later, S walked me through the Chinese grocery on Spadina so I'd know what I was looking at. I looked it all up. The tremella is rich in polysaccharides that support skin hydration and elasticity. The soup as a whole is lung-nourishing, blood-tonifying, useful in dry seasons or after illness or just as a gentle daily tonic. The research is actually there. And here's the thing: I like the way it tastes. Sweet, but not in a sugar-spiking way. It satisfies the craving without the guilt. Feels good in my gut; satisfying and doesn’t linger. A pot lasts about a week, since no one will eat it except for me. I make one most weeks now.

S would be proud.