Have you noticed that when you plan on doing a Chinese dessert drink, you inevitably end up at a Chinese Medicine hall or store?

That's right. Traditionally, Chinese have a medicinal perspective of food. From dang gui herbs, ginseng to rhino horns, everything is suppose to bring some benefits to your body, though the latter can get you into legal troubles. Some food items are deemed to have aphrodisiac properties.

I practically grew up with a yin-yang "cold-hot" approach to food and that was what my Mum and older relatives taught me. I should say that my beliefs in that was shattered in just one biochemistry lesson in my Uni students days.

I am a Philistine when it comes to Chinese food traditions and so, I am in no position to question the scientific basis of these long cherished ideas. What I do know is that I eat what I eat because I find it delicious. I do not care very much about their medicinal properties.

I always love Chinese desserts in restaurants. They are a refreshing end to a meal. I do find them unreasonably costly. Many of these desserts do not need special culinary skills to make, especially  dessert drinks like longan, lo han gao or barley drinks. For the price of a bowl in restaurant, you can sometimes make a pot of it.

I have already posted a recipe for my version of Lin Chee Kang drink here. One item which I enjoy very much because of its texture is peach gum, which you can find in many types of dessert drinks.

What is peach gum? Through Google, of course: "Peach Gum is the solids of the sap that has been secreted from the bark of the Peach Tree. Its known for the beneficial properties on improving various skin conditions. Commonly prepared into refreshing desserts, it is generally tasteless with a gelatin bouncy texture similar to the coveted Bird's Nest."

A pack of Peach Gum

These expand to 10 times in water

After it is soaked