I made this..it's a very delicious summer dessert/drink in China. It's sweet and should be served cold, well, who drinks anything hot in summer anyway? I think the white parts are some kind of white wood ear except they are called fungus on the package, they need to be soaked over night before cooking, and I added goji and some other stuff in it. According to the Chinese, this stuff is suppose to make your skin look good, I haven't seen the affects yet and I doubt I will look better than I do now, but it sure is tasty! :)