Papaya and Snow Fungus Soup | IDDSI Level 5 Dessert Recipe

IDDSI Level 5 (Minced & Moist) | 45 minutes | Easy

Papaya and snow fungus soup (木瓜雪耳糖水) is one of Cantonese cuisine’s most celebrated nourishing desserts, long prized for its skin-moisturising and lung-nourishing qualities in traditional Chinese medicine. This adapted version cuts papaya into small dice and simmers everything until the papaya is fully softened and the snow fungus (white fungus/tremella) is tender enough to yield without chewing. The result is a Level 5 dessert: every piece can be crushed easily with the tongue against the palate, making it accessible to elderly residents who need a minced and moist diet.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Main:

• 500g ripe papaya (去皮去籽, peeled and seeded), cut into 1cm dice
• 15g dried snow fungus / white fungus (乾雪耳), soaked and expanded
• 60g rock sugar (冰糖), or to taste
• 1 litre water

Optional:

• 6 dried red dates (南棗, pitted)
• 1 tablespoon wolfberry (枸杞子)
• 30g dried lotus seeds (蓮子, soaked 1 hour beforehand)

Method

Prepare snow fungus:

1. Soak dried snow fungus in cold water for 30 minutes until fully rehydrated and expanded. Trim off the tough yellow stem base. Tear into small individual petals.

Cook: 2. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add snow fungus (and red dates and lotus seeds, if using). 3. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the snow fungus is translucent, gelatinous and fully tender. 4. Add diced papaya and continue simmering for 10–15 minutes until every piece of papaya is completely soft throughout. 5. Add rock sugar and stir until dissolved. Add wolfberries in the final 5 minutes (if using). 6. Taste and adjust sweetness. Serve hot, or refrigerate and serve cold.

Texture Test

IDDSI Level 5 confirmation:

• Papaya: Each 1cm piece should yield and flatten easily under gentle fork pressure with no resistance — do not spring back.
• Snow fungus: After 30+ minutes of simmering, petals should be soft enough to crush between two fingers with minimal force. The tongue should be able to press and break each piece against the palate without needing teeth.

Important: If papaya pieces are cut larger than 1.5cm, extend cooking time and retest before serving.

Safety Notes

⚠️ Snow fungus cooking time — insufficient cooking time leaves snow fungus with a rubbery, chewy texture. Simmer for at least 30 minutes and test by pinching; it must crush easily between fingers.

⚠️ Optional ingredients — red dates, lotus seeds and wolfberries all require thorough cooking to soften sufficiently. If residents have moderate-to-severe dysphagia, it is safer to omit these and serve only papaya and snow fungus.

⚠️ Papaya allergy — papaya contains papain; residents with known papaya sensitivity should avoid this dish.

⚠️ Sugar content — rock sugar adds significant sweetness; residents managing blood glucose should reduce by half or use unsweetened boiled water instead of sugar syrup.

Sourcing in Hong Kong

• Fresh ripe papaya: All wet market fruit stalls; Hawaiian papaya (夏威夷木瓜) is the most widely available and reliably tender variety
• Dried snow fungus (乾雪耳): Chinese herbal medicine shops, PARKnSHOP and Wellcome; store in a dry place — reconstituted yield is approximately 8x the dried weight
• Rock sugar (冰糖): All supermarkets
• Red dates, wolfberries, lotus seeds: Chinese herbal medicine shops and health food sections at major supermarkets

Nutrition

Approximately 120 kcal per serving, rich in Vitamin C, 4g dietary fibre. Papaya contains abundant Vitamin A (as beta-carotene), Vitamin C and digestive enzymes (papain); snow fungus contains polysaccharides believed to have lung-moisturising and immune-supporting properties in TCM tradition; the dessert is low in fat and protein and is best served as a supplement to a protein-containing meal.

Cultural Note

Papaya and snow fungus soup holds a particular place in the Cantonese imagination as a feminine and restorative dish — the kind of dessert that a grandmother would prepare after a family dinner, or that a mother would make to nourish daughters. In Hong Kong, it is one of the most recognisable home-cooked tong sui alongside red bean soup and walnut paste. Snow fungus has been used in Chinese medicine for over a thousand years; its gelatinous, collagen-adjacent texture has given rise to centuries of belief in its skin-nourishing qualities. Presenting this as an IDDSI Level 5 dessert allows elderly residents in care to remain connected to a familiar and culturally meaningful part of their food heritage.