Tongjiang White Fungus Soup

Tongjiang White Fungus Soup

　　Tongjiang White Fungus Soup

　　Preparation: Soak the white fungus in warm water to expand, then remove any wood chips or impurities. Trim off the hard base parts, tear larger pieces into smaller ones, wrap them in clean gauze, gently rub, and rinse thoroughly with clean water. Clarify the soaking water by filtering it through gauze, then soak the white fungus back in the original water. Remove the outer skin from the pork lard, then chop it into small pieces. Place a pot of water over high heat, add the soaking water, rock sugar powder, and white sugar. Once it boils, skim off the foam, then stir and pour in the egg whites into the sugar water. Bring it to a boil again and remove any floating foam. Repeat this process twice until the syrup becomes clear. Evenly place the white fungus, syrup, and chopped pork lard into a porcelain bowl, seal the bowl tightly with parchment paper, and steam it over high heat for several hours until the white fungus turns gelatinous.