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Is It Really Turtle Carapace In Gwai Ling Kou?

The weather in Penang is becoming unbearably warm, particularly in the afternoons when the heat really sears.

I decided to take a break from boiling Buddha Fruit and make something different. I was rummaging in my fridge and found a packet of Eu Yan Sang's Gui Ling Gao powder - it didn't have an expiry date so I thought, what the heck, I'd just use it.

The thing is, and this is what I haven't figured out, does it really contain the shell of the turtle? Or is it just a name for a cooling dessert thanks to the ingenuity of the Chinese in naming their desserts?

Anyway, I think there aren' that many turtles around these days so I hope the modern "gwai ling kou" is made from herbs.

You can see this post I wrote previously on how I made this gui ling gao dessert.




Comments

LunaMoonbeam said…
Hooray! I'm happy I found your blog. *grin* My (Cantonese) MIL and I made Ching Bo Leung soup today. Yummy! I found your blog when I was looking for English names for all the herbs she chucked into the pot. haha

I'll be back!
Krista Goon said…
Hi Aunt Lolo,
You have an interesting blog too. And it always intrigues me about life in the US and now that your Cantonese mom in law is visiting, the dishes you'd be cooking ;-). Do come back and share with me your Eurasian-Cantonese dishes and soups and yummies.
Krista Goon said…
Hmmmm, btw, have you tried Gwai Ling Gou?

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