Even before summer has officially arrived, the temperature has already encroached into the 90s °F. I do love sunny warm weather, when a light breeze accompanies it. But when I stepped outside to go to a nearby grocery store today, I felt like I was stepping into an open oven getting slow roasted under the dry penetrating heat of a relentless sun. It is times like these that make me wish for my favorite cold sweet soup – the Snow Fungus Papaya Almond Milk Cold Dessert. This is a heavenly and unbelievably refreshing papaya and milk dessert soup, with the light fragrance and taste of Chinese almonds. It is lightly-sweetened, yet so delicious and thirst-quenching that this cold dessert is just perfect on a hot day like the one I described.
This dessert also has moisturizing and skin-clearing functions. Papaya and snow fungus were used in Chinese food medicine for many generations to nourish and moisten the internal body. The snow fungus is also known for its ability to balance and even skin tones with repeated use.
Knowing that there are health benefits and skin improvements to be gained from this delicious milky soup makes me very happy as I slurp away at this gratifying dessert. On top of that, this soup is remarkably easy and inexpensive to make. A serving of 6 can be made at home very quickly for the price you would pay for one serving at a Hong Kong style dessert lounge. Enjoy!
- 1 medium-sized papaya (about 1 lb)
- ½ of a white fungus, soaked
- ½ tsp of bitter almonds
- 1 tsp of sweet almonds
- 2 thin slices of ginger
- 1-2 large pieces of rock sugar (or 1 tbsp of honey as substitute)
- 5 cups of water
- 2 cups of low fat cow's milk
- Boil 10 cups of water in a pot. In the meanwhile, rinse and cut the papaya lengthwise in half. Scoop out the seeds and peel off the outer skin. Cut the papaya to 1 inch chunks.
- Rinse and soak the bitter and sweet almonds in cold water. Cut the white fungus to ½ inch small pieces.
- When the water boils, add all ingredients to the pot except for the milk and sugar. Then continue cooking on medium-high heat for 30 minutes.
- When done, turn off the heat. Add and stir in the sugar to a desired sweetness. Let cool then refrigerate.
- When ready to serve, add 3 - 4 parts of the sweetened papaya soup with 1 part of cold milk. Mix and enjoy.
Check out other dessert soup recipes here on Chinese Soup Pot.
This dessert looks totally heavenly, I would like very much to make it. I hope is easy to find the white fungus. love it!!!
This is my favorite Chinese dessert ever! Can you add the milk in and then refrigerate together?
Hi Kayce,
Thank you very much for visiting and for leaving a comment for this recipe! You can add the milk in and refrigerate this dessert for later use. I usually make enough for 6 – 8 servings, with the milk added in. When I want a bowl of this refreshing dessert, I just scoop a bowl of it to enjoy.
Have a great time making and enjoying this dessert! =)
Sharon