With the unpredictable weather in Malaysia this new year - swinging from thunderstorms to intense sun, its no wonder that lots of people are down with coughs and colds. Double boiled pear is a traditional Chinese remedy that nourishes the body and eases long chesty coughs.
It's also a nice sweet drink that your little one will probably drink willingly and you can serve it hot or cold. Cook it in a double boiler to ensure the maximum amount of nutrients are retained.
Ingredients:
2 Chinese pear
Rock sugar in your preferred amount
8-10 apricot kernels (optional)
1 dried snow fungus (optional)
The making:
1. Soak the snow fungus until soft.
2. Clean, peel the pear, remove the core and cut into wedges, put the pear and apricot kernels into the boiler without the rock sugar or snow fungus.
3. Add enough warm water to cover the pear, close the lid and boil for roughly 1.5 hours. Boil for 10 minutes on high heat then switch to low heat.
4. If you prefer your snow fungus to be crunchy, add it only in the last 20 minutes.
5. On the final 5 minutes, add the rock sugar and let it boil for short while before turning off the heat.
You can use dried longans and red dates in place of rock sugar. You can also use a slow cooker or an ordinary pot if you don't have a double boiler. Just reduce the cooking time to about an hour if you're using an ordinary pot. And while apricot kernel is beneficial for treating coughs, it must not be taken in excessive amounts.
