Fresh Lotus Seed and Winter Melon Soup

Why people make this soup

Nourilo 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.

Method

1. Split the lotus seeds open, keep the core, and rinse.
2. Wash the winter melon (skin on) and cut into chunks.
3. Add both to 2.1 L of water and simmer for 1 hour, reducing to 1.2 L. Serve.

Nourilo’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.