What Is Peach Gum?
Peach gum is the resin from peach and Chinese wild peach trees, already solidified when it is found. As detailed in classical Chinese medical literature, its curative qualities include solving urinal infections, thirst-quenching and relieving stress.
Not only used frequently by doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine, peach gum is also a natural and healthy food rich in amino acid, which allows collagen to be quickly absorbed into the human body. This makes many people fall in love with it, and many recipes featuring peach gum has been devised since then. From soups, cooked dishes to desserts, this gemstone-lookalike is a delight to both our palate and skin.
Peach gum is best enjoyed in sweet soups and desserts. Regardless of time or location, it’s a guaranteed remedy for sweetening the day. In addition to the wonderful taste, sweet soup made with peach gum boasts a great deal of nutritional benefits. The simple preparation process adds to its universal appeal – the peach gum is first soaked and double-boiled. After that, you can add ingredients of your preference, such as milk or sago pudding. Another good idea is to incorporate peach gum into classic recipes like double-boiled papaya or snow ear fungus sweet soup.
With a slew of nutrients and smooth texture, many home cooks are beginning to add peach gum to their daily cooking ritual. Braised pork belly with peach gum is a quotidian dish in Zhejiang province. As soon as the belly is cooked, add the peach gum and braise for a further 15 minutes, and there you have a tasty and wholesome dish for dinner.
Another way of cooking peach gum is adding it to stir-fries with, for example, tofu or salted vegetables. The bouncy and tender resin will give your everyday dishes an extra dimension.
A New Healthy Option
For many Asians, soup is a mainstay at the dinner table. And for many of these soups – the most common ones being chicken soup and pork rib soup – an additional dose of peach gum goes a long way in to help us stay young and beautiful.
Soften the peach gum beforehand by soaking it in clean water. Once the impurities are gone, it can be cooked together with other ingredients. The natural resin is beneficial to both our stomach and our skin. No wonder it’s billed as the new darling for soup-brewing.