Bing tang dun xue li

China's ancient snow pear remedy: a whole snow pear hollowed and filled with rock sugar, steamed until translucent and trembling, the sweetened pear juice pooling inside: two thousand years of Chinese medicine in a single tender bowl

Origin: China

From the journey of Pear.

Bing tang dun xue li (冰糖炖雪梨; rock sugar steamed snow pear) is one of the most enduring preparations in Chinese traditional medicine and home cooking: a snow pear (xuě lí, 雪梨) hollowed of its core, filled with rock sugar (bing tang) and sometimes dried Sichuan peppercorns, goji berries, or lotus seeds, then steamed for 30–40 minutes until the flesh turns translucent and the rock sugar dissolves into a sweet, clear juice that pools in the pear's cavity. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the snow pear is classified as 'cool' and 'moistening'; beneficial to the lungs and throat; and this preparation is the canonical remedy for dry cough, sore throat, and the dryness of autumn and winter. It is given to children with colds, to singers before performances, and to the elderly throughout the cold season. The preparation is as much ritual as recipe: the care with which the pear is hollowed, the deliberate placement of the rock sugar, the patience of the steam; all are expressions of the Chinese kitchen's understanding that food and medicine are not separate categories.

Ingredients

Fruit

  • 2 large snow pears (xuě lí), or ripe white nashi/Asian pears (not European pears: the Asian variety is essential)

Sweetening

  • 3 tbsp rock sugar (bing tang), Chinese rock sugar, not caster sugar

Optional additions

  • 1 tsp goji berries (optional, adds sweetness and TCM benefits)
  • 3 dried red dates (jujubes, hóng zǎo), optional
  • 4 Sichuan peppercorns (optional, a traditional variant that adds fragrance and is believed to clear heat)

Method

  1. Wash the pears. Cut a lid off the top of each pear (about 2cm down from the stem) and set the lid aside. Using a small spoon or melon baller, hollow out the core and seeds from inside each pear, creating a cavity of about 4–5cm deep. Do not pierce the bottom.
  2. Fill each pear cavity with rock sugar and any optional additions (goji berries, dates, Sichuan peppercorns). Replace the lid on each pear.
  3. Place the filled pears in a heat-proof bowl or on a plate that will fit inside a steamer. Steam over boiling water for 35–40 minutes until the pear flesh is completely soft and translucent, and a clear, sweet liquid has pooled inside the cavity.
  4. Carefully transfer each pear to a serving bowl; the cavity will be full of hot, sweet pear juice. Serve immediately, removing the lid and drinking the sweetened juice from the cavity first, then eating the soft pear flesh.

Notes

The snow pear (xuě lí) is one of the most cultivated pear varieties in China, particularly in Hebei, Anhui, and Xinjiang provinces. The 'Yali' and 'Ya' pears from Hebei are the most famous snow pear varieties; pale yellow-green, extremely juicy, and with a delicate, perfumed sweetness. In TCM theory, the snow pear addresses 'lung dryness': a condition believed to cause dry cough, thirst, and irritated throat; through its 'moistening' properties. The modern scientific explanation is simpler: the high water content and gentle sweetness of the steamed pear soothe irritated mucous membranes. Both explanations lead to the same preparation, and both are correct in their way.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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