Sweet potato and lotus seed sweet soup
Sweet potato simmered until soft with mealy lotus seeds and a few slices of ginger — a gently sweet, stomach-warming classic from the neighbourhood dessert shop.
- 1 hr
- Serves 4
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: A qi-deficient constitution tires easily and speaks without much strength, and summer sweating leaves you breathless. Sweet potato supplements the middle and strengthens the spleen, lotus seeds support the spleen and heart, and a little ginger warms the stomach. Slab sugar keeps the sweetness in check — an afternoon bowl that restores energy without heating.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 45 min- 1Rinse the lotus seeds and soak for 30 minutes. Peel the sweet potatoes, cut into chunks and keep in water so they don't darken.
- 2Bring the water to the boil, add the lotus seeds and ginger and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes until the seeds begin to soften.
- 3Add the sweet potato and simmer for 15–20 minutes more until tender. Stir in the slab sugar until dissolved and serve hot or warm.
Cautions
- Too much sweet potato can cause bloating, so go easy if you have acid reflux; diabetics should cut or replace the sugar.
Chef's tips
- Yellow- or orange-fleshed sweet potatoes give the best colour and sweetness; buy cored lotus seeds so the soup isn't bitter.
The TCM view
Sweet potato is sweet and neutral, supplementing the middle, boosting qi and easing the bowels. Lotus seeds are sweet, astringent and neutral, strengthening the spleen, nourishing the heart and calming the spirit. Ginger is pungent and slightly warm, warming the stomach; slab sugar is sweet and warm, easing the middle. A gentle, non-cloying tonic for spleen qi and the heart.
