Fresh Lotus Seed, Tangerine Peel and Red Bean Sweet Soup

Why people make this sweet soup

Nourilo prefers fresh lotus seeds to dried ones — they taste so much better, the only fuss being that you have to remove the little green core. Don’t toss those cores, though: they make a pleasant tea later. Add well-aged tangerine peel and red beans (a pantry staple Nourilo keeps on hand for their blood-nourishing reputation) and you get a soothing dessert soup that moistens the skin, calms the mind and helps bring a rosy glow to the face.

Method

1. Remove the cores from the fresh lotus seeds. Soak the tangerine peel until soft.
2. Nourilo’s shortcut for the beans: soak them in water for a few hours, drain, then freeze. When cooking, drop the frozen beans straight into vigorously boiling water — the rapid contraction-then-expansion helps them split open and soften quickly.
3. Put all ingredients in a pot with 1.8 L of water and cook down to 0.9–1.2 L.
4. Add brown sugar or rock sugar, stir until dissolved, and serve.

Nourilo’s Tips

This sweet soup is gently sweet and suits young and old. For a stronger calming effect, add about 38 g (38 g) of dried lily bulb (bai he) and cook it together.