猴頭菇, 2018
charcoal, acrylic and oil on canvas
40cm x 40cm

Still life of my favorite Chinese soup ingredient, Hericium Erinaceus also known as the monkey head mushroom, belonging to the tooth fungus group. The monkey head mushroom is a medicinal fungi and could fruit intermittently for 20 years on the same dead tree surviving for over four decades. The nutrition value of this mushroom is 57% carbohydrates (8% as dietary fiber), 4% fat, and 22% protein. Here is a soup recipe:

功效：能利五臟、助消化、滋補、對神經衰退/十二指腸潰瘍/胃潰瘍有良好功效 材料： 五指毛桃、猴頭菇、百合、南北杏、淮山、蜜棗 做法：將湯包材料用室溫水洗淨，猴頭菇及五指毛桃浸20分鐘備用， 如加瘦肉/豬骨，先汆水，備用。將湯包所有材料放於入鍋中，加入10碗水， 大火滾起，再放豬肉/豬骨。 轉慢火煲2小時，最後下鹽調味。