A gentle, pale-gold sweet soup of lotus seeds and lily bulbs — the centerpiece of Cantonese wedding banquets, its name a play on words wishing for a hundred years of harmony and many children.
Both lotus seeds (莲子, Nelumbo nucifera) and lily bulbs (百合, Lilium brownie var. viridulum) are listed in the Compendium of Materia Medica (《本草纲目》) for calming the heart and mind. Their pairing as a sweet tong sui is an established part of Cantonese culinary medicine, present in Qing-dynasty medical texts on daily food therapy. The dish occupies a special social role: its name carries the homophonic wishes 百年好合 (a hundred years of harmony), 连生贵子 (continuously bearing children), making it an obligatory course at Cantonese wedding banquets.
The broth is clear, delicately sweet, and barely viscous — a pale gold that hints at nothing heavy. The lotus seeds yield softly at the bite with a slight chalkiness at their core; the lily bulb petals are tender, almost dissolving, carrying a faint floral sweetness.
Lotus seeds contain liensinine and nuciferine — alkaloids shown in animal studies to have sedative and anxiolytic effects, lending pharmacological support to the traditional 养心安神 (heart-nourishing, mind-calming) claim. Lily bulbs contain steroidal saponins and low-toxicity colchicine analogs, recorded in the Chinese Materia Medica with mild sedative and antitussive properties. Slow simmering draws out polysaccharides from both ingredients into the broth; the green embryo inside each lotus seed (莲心) must be removed before cooking — it contains highly bitter isoliensinine that will ruin the soup if left in.
Variations
Lean pork strips or pork bones can be added to create a savory-sweet 老火汤 style double-purpose soup. Dried longan (桂圆) and goji berries add complexity and a reddish hue. Can be served chilled in summer with a cube of ice.
On the Palate
Where Lotus Seed and Lily Bulb Sweet Soup sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
7 steps · 3 hours 10 min
- 1120 min
Soak lotus seeds in cold water for 2 hours; drain and use a toothpick to remove the bitter green embryo from the center of each seed — this step is essential and cannot be skipped.
Watch outDig the green embryo out of every lotus seed — that sprout holds a sharp bitterness that will ruin the whole pot.
- 220 min
Soak dried lily bulb pieces in cold water for 20 minutes until the layers separate and become supple.
- 330 min
Add 1 liter of water to a clay pot; bring to a boil. Add the prepared lotus seeds; reduce to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- 415 min
Add the softened lily bulb pieces; continue simmering for 15 minutes until both lotus seeds and lily bulbs are fully tender.
- 53 min
Add rock sugar; stir until completely dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness.
- 62 min
If using goji berries, add now and simmer just 2 more minutes (overcooked goji berries lose color and texture).
Watch outDrop the goji in only at the very end for two minutes — cooked long they bleed color and go mushy, clouding the clear soup.
- 72 min
Ladle into small bowls and serve hot; the soup should be clear and delicately golden, never cloudy.
Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed
These legacy suggestions have not been evidence-reviewed and are not presented as required tools.
