Lotus Seed and Lily Bulb Sweet Soup | IDDSI Level 5 Care Food Recipe

IDDSI Level 5 | 75 minutes | Easy

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 50g dried lotus seeds (pith removed — pre-pitted packets are recommended)
• 30g fresh lily bulb or 15g dried lily bulb (dried lily bulb requires pre-soaking)
• 25–35g rock sugar (adjust to taste)
• 900ml water
• 4 dried red dates, stoned (optional — adds sweetness and colour)
• 20g pearl barley (optional — adds a gentle cooling effect in Traditional Chinese Medicine)

Sourcing Outside Hong Kong

For international care kitchens and home cooks outside Hong Kong, Cantonese ingredients are widely available at East and Southeast Asian grocery stores:

• United Kingdom: Wing Yip (Birmingham, London, Manchester), See Woo (London), Loon Fung (London)
• United States: 99 Ranch Market (West Coast), H Mart (East Coast), local Chinatown grocers
• Canada: T&T Supermarket (national chain), local Asian markets
• Australia: Burlington Supermarket, Tang’s, local Chinese grocers in Chinatown precincts
• Singapore & Malaysia: Sheng Siong, NTUC FairPrice (Singapore); Tesco, Mydin (Malaysia)
• Online: Sous Chef (UK/EU), Amazon.com (US), Yami.com (US)

Key ingredients for this recipe: check your local East Asian grocer — Wing Yip (UK), H Mart (US/CA), T&T (CA), Sheng Siong (Singapore) — for any Cantonese-specific items.

If a specific ingredient is unavailable in your region, the recipe notes alternative substitutions in the Ingredients section. For dishes requiring fresh Cantonese-specific ingredients (e.g. preserved century egg, fresh rice noodle rolls), check with your local East Asian grocer before substituting — texture compliance for IDDSI levels may require specific products.

Method

Preparation

1. Soak dried lotus seeds in cold water for 2–4 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator) until fully rehydrated and swollen.
2. Check each lotus seed for the pith (the slender green or pale green core running through the centre) — remove it with a toothpick or thin skewer if present, as it is intensely bitter.
3. If using dried lily bulb, soak in cold water for 30 minutes. If using fresh lily bulb, separate into individual petals and rinse thoroughly.
4. If using red dates, halve and remove the stones.

Cooking

5. Add water to a saucepan along with the lotus seeds and red dates. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
6. Cover and simmer gently for 45–55 minutes until the lotus seeds are completely soft throughout (press a seed between your fingertips — it should flatten completely with no firm core).
7. If adding pearl barley, add it at step 5 alongside the lotus seeds (cooking times are similar).
8. Add the lily bulb and cook for a further 8–10 minutes (fresh lily bulb) or 15 minutes (dried lily bulb), until the petals are translucent at the edges and tender throughout.
9. Add the rock sugar and stir until fully dissolved.
10. Serve warm or at room temperature according to preference.

Texture Guidance

Lotus seeds (Level 5): Fully cooked lotus seeds are approximately 1–1.5cm in diameter and have a soft, yielding texture. Pressing a single seed with the back of a fork should flatten it completely with no spring-back and no firm core — matching the IDDSI Level 5 standard for minced and moist food. The tongue alone should be sufficient to crush each seed.

Lily bulb (Level 5): Cooked lily bulb petals are thin and soft. Each petal should be under 1cm across and easily crushable with the tongue — meeting Level 5 requirements.

Soup base (Level 2-3): The sweet soup liquid is a thin flavoured broth, falling in the Level 2-3 range. As a complete dish, the solid components (lotus seeds, lily bulb) must each meet the Level 5 requirement.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Properties (Brief Overview)

Lotus seeds: Neutral in nature, sweet and slightly astringent in flavour. In TCM, lotus seeds are used to tonify the spleen and kidneys and calm the mind — traditionally prescribed for elderly individuals with poor sleep or anxiety.

Lily bulb: Slightly cooling in nature, sweet in flavour. In TCM, lily bulb is used to nourish the lungs, relieve dryness, and calm the mind — particularly recommended in dry autumn and winter weather, or for residents with a chronic dry cough.

Note: The above is a summary of traditional TCM dietary therapy for reference only. Residents with chronic conditions or on regular medication should consult their healthcare professional before making significant dietary changes.

Cultural Background

Lotus seed and lily bulb sweet soup is a staple of Hong Kong’s beloved tong sui (糖水) culture — served at street-side sweet soup shops and made in family kitchens throughout the city. Tong sui (literally “sugar water”) occupies an important place in Cantonese culinary tradition, valued both as a dessert and as a daily nourishing tonic. This recipe adapts the dish for care food standards by ensuring the lotus seeds are cooked until verifiably soft, preserving the familiar flavours and cultural significance for elderly residents.

Texture Tests

Fork pressure test (lotus seeds): Passes Level 5 — applying firm vertical pressure with the back of a fork to a single lotus seed flattens it completely with no spring-back and no firm core remaining. The same result should be achievable with tongue pressure alone.

Size check: Each lotus seed should be no more than 1.5cm in diameter. If any seeds are larger, cut them in half after cooking to confirm they meet the size requirement.

Important Notes

• The lotus seed pith (the green inner core) has an intensely bitter flavour and must be removed — it cannot be cooked out.
• Lily bulb has a slightly cooling nature in TCM terms. Residents with a cold constitution or chronic loose stools should not consume it in large quantities.
• Rock sugar can be substantially reduced or omitted entirely for residents with diabetes — the lotus seeds and red dates themselves provide a gentle natural sweetness.
• Pearl barley is considered cooling in TCM and should be avoided during pregnancy (relevant where the cooking is shared across different service users).

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 2–3 days. The lotus seeds become even softer after refrigeration — a useful quality for care settings. When reheating, bring the soup to a full rolling boil. If the soup has thickened during refrigeration (due to starch from the lotus seeds), add a small amount of hot water to restore the desired consistency. The dish can also be served cool — the texture remains suitable for Level 5 when cold.

Nutrition

Per serving approximately 180 kcal, 42g carbohydrate, 4g dietary fibre, 5g protein. Lotus seeds contain polysaccharides with antioxidant properties. Red dates are a source of iron and vitamin C, which aids the absorption of non-haem iron. The dish is low in fat and sodium and suitable for most elderly residents. Due to the higher carbohydrate and sugar content, portion size should be controlled for residents with diabetes.