Ginkgo Barley (Fu Chok)

Ginkgo Barley Recipe

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Ginkgo Barley (白果薏米腐竹糖水) is one of my favourite Chinese desserts of all time. Also known as fu chok (foo chuk), this dessert tastes light, refreshing and nourishing. It is also really easy to make. Be sure to buy the soft type of bean curd skin sheets to make this dessert (see picture below).

See Also: Snow Fungus Dessert Soup Recipe

The other type, which looks alike but is harder and oilier, is more suitable for making Chinese style meat stews such as “tau yu bak” (I found out the hard way). I also cheat by using canned ginkgo nuts (where the nuts are already shelled and boiled), so the steps and cooking time for this recipe are greatly simplified.

Beancurd sheet

Ginkgo Barley Recipe

Ginkgo Barley (Fu Chok) Recipe

Make sure you buy the soft type of beancurd skin to make this dessert. The other type, which is harder and oilier, is more suitable for making savoury Chinese braises and stews.

Ingredients:

  • 100 grams soft beancurd skin sheets (三边腐竹) soaked in water until soft
  • 1800 ml water
  • 50 grams barley (薏米) rinsed
  • 3 pandan leaves tied to a knot
  • 20 pitted red dates
  • 100 grams canned or vacuum-packed (boiled and shelled) ginkgo nuts (白果)
  • 130 grams rock sugar (冰糖) to taste

Directions:

  1. In a soup pot, add water, barley, pandan leaves and red dates. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes or until barley is soft.
  2. Add gingko nuts and soaked softened beancurd sheets (do not add the water used to soak the beancurd sheets), and continue simmering for another 10 minutes, or until the beancurd skin reached the consistency you like (big pieces or congee-like fine consistency; I like somewhere in between).
  3. Add rock sugar, stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Discard pandan leaves. Serve warm or chilled.

Noob Cook Tips

  1. Get the finer type of barley, usually labelled as pearl barley. They are easier to cook and softer to eat.
  2. You can substitute gingko nuts with lotus nuts, or use a combination of both.