Double-boiled Asian pear with lotus seeds & lily bulb
Asian pear double-boiled until soft and sweet, with lotus seeds and lily bulb — moistening, never heavy, and calming.
- 1 hr 10 min
- Serves 2
- Double-boil
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yin Deficiency brings a dry mouth, warm palms and light sleep. Rain Water is damp, but the inner deficient heat is still there. Double-boiled pear moistens without heaviness, and lotus seeds protect digestion so you don't add damp to damp.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 60 min- 1Rinse the lotus seeds and soak for 30 minutes. Separate the lily bulb into petals, rinse and trim off any dark edges.
- 2Wash and core the pears and cut into large chunks — leave the skin on for extra moistening.
- 3Put the lotus seeds, pears, rock sugar and water in a double-boiling pot, cover and double-boil over medium heat for 50 minutes.
- 4Add the lily bulb and goji berries and cook for 10 more minutes, until the lotus seeds are soft and the lily is translucent.
Cautions
- Go easy if your digestion runs cold, your stools are loose, or you have a cough with thin white phlegm.
Chef's tips
- For the office: boil everything for 10 minutes, then pour into a thermal cooker flask and leave for 2 hours.
- No fresh lily bulb? Soak 15 g dried lily bulb with the lotus seeds and add it at the start.
The TCM view
Asian pear is sweet and cool and moistens the lungs; lily bulb is sweet and slightly cold, nourishes yin and calms the mind; lotus seeds are sweet, astringent and neutral and support the spleen, heart and kidneys; goji nourishes the liver and kidneys; a little rock sugar moistens. Lotus seeds balance the cool pear and lily, so yin is fed without weakening digestion.
