Bamboo fungus
The dried lacy stem and net-like skirt of the bamboo fungus (Phallus indusiatus), which fruits on bamboo litter; sold as pale, netted hollow tubes. Trimmed of cap and skirt-ends and soaked in lightly salted water, it has little taste of its own but a crisp-slippery bite that soaks up clear stocks, a hallmark of refined double-steamed soups.
TCM properties
Nature · cooling Flavour · sweet、bland Meridians · lung、stomach
Traditional food therapy
In Cantonese food therapy bamboo fungus is used to clear heat, moisten the lungs and nourish qi and yin, favoured in cooling, refined soup pots.
Cautions: read first
- When soaking, cut away the cap end and the tip of the netted skirt and change the water several times, otherwise it carries an off smell.
- Watch out for stock bleached with sulphur; do not buy pieces that are too white or have a sharp sour smell.
- Keep to a moderate amount if your spleen and stomach run cold and weak and your stools are loose.
Preparation
Soak in lightly salted water for 20 to 30 minutes until soft, trim both ends, cut into lengths and rinse; for a double-boiled soup (燉湯) add it to the pot in the last 30 minutes so it stays crisp.
Origin
Zhijin in Guizhou is the most famous; Sanming and Nanping in Fujian, Zhaotong in Yunnan and Changning in Sichuan are also well known. AU stock is small Chinese-brand packs plus organic supermarket lines
Availability in Australia
Easy to find
