If you can get fresh white fungus, use fresh—it’s definitely better. If not, dried white fungus is more convenient to buy, but it does take time to soak and clean. Ideally, soak it for at least 2–3 hours; 6 hours is even better, or you can soak it the night before and keep it in the fridge. Before soaking, make sure to rinse it thoroughly, as there may be some dust or impurities inside.
A friendly reminder: don’t soak too much at once. Once rehydrated, the volume is very different from before—you’ll be surprised how it turns into such a big clump. After it’s cooked, it’s also not suitable for storing too long, so it’s best to finish it as soon as possible. Be mentally prepared for the cooking time as well—it usually takes at least 2–3 hours to really see it turn gelatinous. As for added ingredients like red dates or lotus seeds, that’s totally up to personal preference, just add as much as you like. The same goes for rock sugar. Once it’s done, you can eat it hot or cold.
The advantage of making it yourself is peace of mind. The downside? Quite a lot, actually. Preparing the ingredients takes time, cooking takes time, and you need to keep stirring to prevent it from sticking to the pot. When you cook it yourself, you don’t really need to be too strict about the cost—and in fact, it’s not expensive at all. These ingredients are fairly affordable. But after cooking it once, it’ll probably be quite a while before you feel like making it again. The next time is usually when you suddenly crave it—or when you’re just really bored.
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