Soups
Fresh Lotus Seed and Winter Melon Soup
Traditionally clears summer heat and calms heart-fire
Why people make this soup
Bro Niu shares this soup around the “Slight Heat” solar term, when the weather stays relentlessly hot and the body — running at full tilt — is more easily troubled by heat and dampness. Melons and bitter foods are well suited to summer, and fresh lotus seeds are in season. The lotus seed is called the “fruit of the spleen,” and the green core inside — its tiny bitter embryo — is traditionally valued for clearing heat and calming the spirit. Cooked whole with winter melon, it makes a clean, gently bitter soup for clearing summer heat and quenching thirst.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- The whole family during peak summer heat; faintly bitter and refreshing
- Traditionally considered helpful for those mindful of high blood pressure, high blood lipids and blood sugar
- People with a cold, weak digestive system should not take it in large amounts
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Fresh lotus seed with core (xian lian zi): the “fruit of the spleen,” well suited to nourishing the spleen and stomach in summer; the bitter green core is traditionally associated with clearing heat, calming the spirit and supporting the heart
- Winter melon (dong gua): traditionally one of the most cooling vegetables, valued for clearing summer heat and generating fluids
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh lotus seeds | ~113 g | Split open, keep the green core, rinsed |
| Winter melon | ~600 g | Keep skin, washed, cut into chunks |
Method
- Split the lotus seeds open, keep the core, and rinse.
- Wash the winter melon (skin on) and cut into chunks.
- Add both to 7 bowls of water and simmer for 1 hour, reducing to 4 bowls. Serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
Fragrant and faintly bitter, fine for the whole family, and traditionally considered good for people watching the “three highs.” Because it is cooling, those with a cold, weak stomach should not drink large amounts.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Irene): If I keep leftover soup in the fridge for a week, can I reheat and drink it? Bro Niu: Cooked soup keeps at most 2 days, otherwise it spoils easily — I would not keep it that long.
- Q (Grandma Fung, 70): Lately I can’t fall asleep at night, my mind races, and my mouth feels very hot. What soup might ease this? Bro Niu: Schisandra (wu wei zi) is used nowadays for nervous exhaustion and sleeplessness — concentrated schisandra sachets are available at Korean supermarkets and can be taken an hour before bed. Or simmer millet rice (~38 g), lily bulb (~38 g), fu shen (~19 g) and 5 red dates in 5 bowls of water down to 2 bowls, three times a week, to help calm the heart and settle the spirit.
- Q (Bo ma): My 5-year-old has a phlegmy cough; we’ve seen a TCM doctor and tried fa xia / licorice / fu ling / peel water but the phlegm persists, and he can’t spit it out. Any food therapy? Bro Niu: Chuan bei powder is very good for phlegm — use 2 teaspoons with one cored, chunked snow pear or apple, steamed with half a bowl of water for 1 hour, then eat.
Published July 6, 2024 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
