Juice Based Drinks

Snowy Pear Drink

Yiner Xueli Yinliao (银耳雪梨饮料)

Subtly sweet, natural, and healthy – Snowy Pear Drink is a refreshingly simple thirst-quencher sold on the streets of Sichuan that can easily be made at home.

I first encountered this Drink in Lizhuang District of Yibin. Vendors throughout the old town were selling plastic cups of this drink to the numerous tourists, and I had to try one. The Drink was quite simple – just a few ingredients and not overly sweet with a natural flavor. While I would have preferred just a touch more sweetness, the overall flavor and combination of ingredients was undeniably perfect. In the following recipe, I made only one small adjustment and that is a dash of Lemon Juice. I find this adds a welcome citrus pop that compliments the other flavors and highlights the natural sweetness.

This Snowy Pear Drink can be served either hot or cold. In fact, it’s simply a version of Snowy Pear Soup (银耳雪梨汤) and tastes great hot. I had it cold when I tried it in Sichuan and I personally prefer it that way. I would, as already mentioned, prefer it a bit sweeter. However, this is supposed to be a rather healthy drink, so added sugar would ruin that purpose. With that said, feel free to break the rules a bit and sweeten this drink to your heart’s content. Snowy Pear Drink has a similar texture to Bird’s Nest Drink (燕窝饮) and the added sweetness lessens the difference in flavor without the discomforting thought of drinking bits of a regurgitated swallow nest. Like with Bird’s Nest Drink, Snowy Pear Drink can also be flavored with Lychee instead of Goji Berries.

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Total Time: 20 min

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

1 Snow Fungus (银耳)

3 Snow Pears (雪梨; Asian Pears)

3 liters of Water

100 grams of Yellow Rock Sugar

1 Tbsp. dried Goji Berries

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice (Optional)

Directions

1.) Slice the Snow Fungus into 1-inch-thick strips. Remove the yellowish core from the center of each strip and discard it. Use your hands to separate and tear the Snow Fungus into pieces slightly smaller than rose petals. Set the Snow Fungus petals aside in a bowl.

(If using Dried Snow Fungus, allow the Snow Fungus to first rehydrate in warm water for about 1 hour before preparing it).

2.) Peel and quarter the Pears lengthwise. Remove the core and then cut each wedge in half lengthwise. Cut across these strips to cut the Pears into roughly 1-inch cubes. Set these cubes aside in their own bowl.

3.) Fill a large pot with 3 liters of Water and add the Snow Fungus, the Rock Sugar, and the Goji Berries. Heat on high until the water boils and boil everything together for 10 minutes until the Sugar dissolves and the Fungus is soft.

4.) Add the Pear cubes along with the Lemon Juice and continue to boil everything for 5 minutes.

5.) Cut off the heat and allow everything to cool to room temperature. Pour the Snowy Pear Drink into a pitcher and store it in the fridge until cold before serving.

 

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