LAI CHEE KANG DESSERT- with lots of dried longan :)

How's the weather like where you're at now? Well its been erratic lately I heard, and that means we need to keep ourselves properly hydrated throughout this spell of weather. Adequate liquid intake is always an essential requirement with us humans. Whether to use Isotonic sports drinks or even just good ole' plain water depends upon your level of work out, requirements, individual differences in sweat rate and certainly taste!

It is almost a myth (but a good myth to keep, so drink up anyway), that you need at least 8 glasses of water a day. According to a report from researches at the Canadian Institute of Science, we should pay more attention to our sodium and potassium intake. Their findings indicated that we do get enough liquid when we drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, but mostly we consume too much sodium and too little potassium. Another point to consider is thirst: do not ignore your thirst! As a report from research done by the American Institute of Medicine (The National Academy) had stated that the vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration by letting thirst be their guide.

Malva nut is rich is potasium and the ginko nut is rich is niacin, potassium and zinc while the winter melon is cooling food (yin) and snow fungus with red dates contains rich amounts of iron, Vitamin C, and phosphorus. It is a good source for agent of an anti free-radical cells in our body system. Now you know why Lai Chee Kang is good and tasty too! :)

Here are the agak2 :) ingredients:

200g dried longan
5g snow fungus
20g red dates
20g dried winter melon
15g malva nut
10g ginkgo nuts
10g barley
50g rock sugar or to taste
1500ml water


Boiled pre-soaked barley until soft for about 15 minutes. Soften the snow fungus and malva nut by soaking it in water for 20 minutes. Drain malva nut and snow fungus. Later, use scissors to cut snow fungus into pieces. Rinse the dried longan, red dates and ginkgo nuts with water and set aside. Add water into a pot and bring it to boil. Then, add longan, red dates, ginkgo nuts, snow fungus, malva nut, barley and rock sugar into the pot. Boil for about another 30 minutes. Add more water if need be. Dish out and serve hot or you may refrigerate it.

My children likes theirs cooling and with tiny ice cubes - Enjoy!

LAI CHEE KANG DESSERT- with lots of dried longan :)