Lily Bulb and Sweet Almond Steamed Pear

Why people make this dish

Autumn in Cantonese culinary culture is pear season — and pears are considered one of the most natural, accessible remedies for the dryness that the season often brings. Most of the pear’s fibre and active compounds are concentrated in the skin, so Nourilo always recommends scrubbing the skin well and leaving it on rather than peeling. This steamed pear dish takes the classic pairing of pear with lily bulb (bai he) and sweet almond (nan xing) and turns them into something that looks as beautiful as it tastes — a whole hollowed pear filled with fragrant herbs and honey, gently steamed until soft. It is traditionally enjoyed for a dry, scratchy or persistent cough with little or no phlegm, for a restless or anxious mind at night, for mild constipation, or simply as a skin-nourishing autumn ritual.