Hasma

Hasma

Dried Hasma sold in a box
Alternative names	Harsmar, hashima, toad oil
Type	Pastry
Place of origin	China
Region or state	Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning
Main ingredients	Fatty tissue found near the fallopian tubes of true frogs

Hasma (Harsmar, Hashima) is a Chinese and widely Central Asian dessert ingredient made from the dried fatty tissue found near the fallopian tubes of true frogs, typically the Asiatic Grass Frog (Rana chensinensis). Because of its whitish appearance, Hasma is often mistakenly described as "snow frog fat". The Western pharmaceutical term is Oviductus Ranae.

Hasma is produced primarily in the Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces in China. Previously available only to Emperors and Empresses, soups made with hasma are available in North American cities with large Chinese populations and in China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Hasma is sold dried as irregular flat pieces and flakes ranging from 1–2 cm in length and 1–5 mm in thickness. Individual pieces are yellowish-white in colour with a matte lustre, whose surface may be covered with off-white pellicles. When rehydrated, dried hasma can expand up to 10-15 times in size.

The dried hasma is rehydrated and double-boiled with rock sugar to create a glutinous texture and opaque color. Dried or rehydrated hasma has a slight fishy smell. In its unflavoured form it is sweet and slightly savory in taste with a texture that is glutinous, chewy, and light, very similar to that of tapioca in a dessert.

Hasma serves the role of providing texture to tong sui, or sweet soups, as well as increasing the perceived luxuriousness of the soup. These soups are usually flavoured with rock sugar. For the uninitiated, this relatively accessible eating experience belies the exotic sounding nature of the dessert. Hasma is widely featured in dessert dishes in high class restaurants in Hong Kong.