Soups
Fresh Lotus Seed and Lily Bulb Pork Soup
Traditionally used to clear the heart, moisten the lungs, and calm the mind
Why people make this soup
Fresh lotus seeds and fresh lily bulbs are delicious in sweet soups, desserts, or savory soups, and are traditionally associated with clearing the heart, moistening the lungs, and calming the mind. During big sporting seasons many people stay up late watching matches, and short sleep takes a real toll, often bringing on yin-deficiency heat signs: puffy gums, mouth ulcers, hot palms and soles, dry throat, hoarse dry cough, restlessness and palpitations. This soup is a gentle way to nourish yin and settle things back down.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits people who’ve been short on sleep, with dry cough, restless sleep, irritability, or palpitations after late nights; also fine in pregnancy
- Lily bulb is best avoided while you have an unresolved cold
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Fresh lotus seed (xian lian zi): traditionally clears the heart and calms the mind
- Fresh lily bulb (xian bai he): traditionally moistens the lungs and calms the spirit
Ingredients (about 4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh lotus seeds | 1 pack (~75 g) | dried: 2 taels |
| Fresh lily bulb | 1 pack (~75 g) | dried: 1 tael |
| Lean pork | ~225 g | blanched |
Method
- Wash the fresh lotus seeds and lily bulb separately; blanch the lean pork.
- Put the pork and lotus seeds in the pot first with 6 bowls of water and simmer about 40 minutes.
- Add the fresh lily bulb and boil 5 to 6 minutes more. Drink the soup and eat the ingredients.
Bro Niu’s tips
If you can’t find fresh, use dried: 2 taels lotus seed and 1 tael lily bulb, but cook longer — 8 bowls of water simmered 2 hours down to 4. For a sweet-soup version, leave out the pork and add 3 to 4 figs or honey dates; a couple of pieces of snow fungus makes it even nicer.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Toby): Can I drink this soup at 6 months pregnant? Bro Niu: Yes, this soup is fine during pregnancy. No problem.
- Q (Yu Si Nai): Do I need to remove the green core from fresh lotus seeds before making soup? Bro Niu: Fresh and dried both work; if you can find fresh, fresh is better, and use double the amount of fresh versus dried. (The bitter core can be left in for extra heart-clearing, or removed for a milder taste.)
- Q (May): Why is it unsuitable while a cold isn’t cleared — is it the lily bulb? Mine seemed to dissolve after long cooking; is that normal? Bro Niu: Yes, it’s the lily bulb — people with a cold shouldn’t take it. And yes, lily bulb dissolves when cooked a long time; that’s normal.
Published June 28, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
