Soup

Lily Flower Soup

by Rice Bucket Recipes

This super simple soup made of lily flower buds is truly unique and really delicious! This has long been used in Chinese herbal medicine to treat coughs, insomnia, or anxiety but more importantly it’s loaded with vitamins and minerals making it a healthy super food. The flowers are picked before they bloom and dried to be used a in a variety of dishes in Chinese cookery such as vegetarian stir fries and stews. In this post I will be sharing my easy recipe to enjoy these lily flowers in hearty soup and it’s a great way to get acquainted with this new food for those who are curious!

Lily flower buds have a really wonderful herbaceous and slightly citrus and earthy flavor. When combined with ginger, pork, and red dates it creates a really savory, slightly sweet, and golden broth! You can often find dried lily buds at your local grocery store but if you don’t have access to one nearby I provided a link below in the ingredient list below. When preparing them it’s important to give them a good thorough soak to wash away any debris, remove any dark colored ones, and trim the tough end piece at the bottom of the bud.

I use to have this soup growing up when my grandmother would make it for us for dinner. I liked helping her tie the lily buds into knots and the reason for that is to give the lily buds some extra texture and also ensure the flowers stay in one piece as they cook. I highly recommend you try this soup next time you are feeling under the weather or just wanting something healthy, nutritious, and light to accompany a meal!

Lily Flower Soup

Prep time: 30 min     
Cook time: 15 min    
Total time: 45 min    
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1/4 lb ground pork
  • 1 cup dried lily flowers
  • 1/2 cup mung bean vermicelli
  • 4-5 dried red dates
  • 3 slices of ginger
  • 1 tsp chicken powder
  • 6 cups of water
  • 2 tsp oil
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, soak dried lily flower for at least 30 min. Then cut off the tough end of the stem end and tie the flowers into a knot and set aside.
  2. In a pot, heat oil to medium heat and cook ground pork with the ginger slices for 2-3 min. Then add water, dates, and chicken powder then bring to a boil.
  3. Add the lily flower knots and mung bean vermicelli (cut into 2-3 inch long pieces) and simmer the soup for 15 min.
  4. Add salt to taste and enjoy hot!

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