Chinese Sweet Dessert Series - Lotus Seed & Snow Fungus Soup
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Discover This Nourishing Chinese Sweet Dessert - Lotus Seeds & Snow Fungus Soup
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Chinese Sweet Dessert - Your Healthy Dessert!
Rediscovering a Classic: Lotus Seeds & Snow Fungus Soup – A Healthy Delight
I’m so excited to share this Lotus Seeds & Snow Fungus Soup recipe with you! This is one of my favourite desserts—and more importantly, it’s a healthy one. You can even enjoy it for breakfast. I hope this recipe helps change people’s stereotypes about desserts—that they’re always full of sugar, fat, calories, and unhealthy ingredients. Instead, this Chinese sweet dessert is nourishing, and each ingredient brings its own health benefits.
I also have a strong childhood memory connected to this dessert. When I was a kid, my mum often made this Chinese sweet dessert soup. She always told me it was a real treasure—in ancient China, only wealthy families could afford to eat it! Hahaha.
I developed this recipe based on the flavours my mum used to create, along with inspiration from other delicious versions I’ve tried over the years. The texture of this soup is slippery and jelly-like, and the lotus seeds become soft and creamy when you bite into them. The jujubes and goji berries add natural sweetness to this beautiful Chinese sweet dessert.
In Mandarin, this dessert has such a poetic and elegant name. But when it’s directly translated into English, it becomes Lotus Seeds & Snow Fungus Soup. I get that the word fungus can sound unappetising to people who aren’t familiar with Chinese food culture. I really want to give it a more beautiful English name—something that reflects how special it is, so people don’t lose interest when they see the name.
Today, I invite you to make and enjoy this jelly-like, delicious Lotus Seeds & White Fungus Soup. And while you are eating it—let’s brainstorm a beautiful English name for this healthy Chinese sweet dessert! 🌸
💬 Leave a comment at the end of this post and be part of this fun and historical moment in renaming this treasured recipe!
Difficulty: Simple
Time: 2.5 hours
Serve: 5-6
Chinese Sweet Dessert - Lotus Seeds and Snow Fungus Soup
Ingredients
Lotus seeds (dried): 145g (1.5 cup)
Snow fungus (also snow fungus) (dried): 48g
Goji berries: 20g
Water: 1.5L (for the very first time); suitable amount (while simmering, add water to ensure water covers all ingredients)
Sugar (optional): personal preference
Tips for Selecting Ingredients
Sugar: Use sugar with a plain aroma, such as rock sugar, white sugar, raw sugar, and honey.
Lotus seeds and snow fungus: If you are in Australia, they are usually sold in a dry form in Asian supermarkets or Chinese medicine shops. If you are in Asian countries, you may see them sold fresh in the traditional market. Of course, you can also get them in the supermarkets, grain shops, and Chinese medicine shops.
Goji berries and Jujube (Chinese Red Date): You can get them in the Asian supermarkets or Chinese medicine shops. If you are in Australia, you can also get Gogi berries in Coles, Woolworths and organic food shops.
Health benefit:
Below are the general health features of these herbs (Note: the links are the reference):
Lotus seeds (Mandarin: Lian Zi): Lotus seeds are one of my favourite ingredients for both desserts and soups—so versatile and delicious, hahaha! 😊 These edible seeds from the lotus plant are a staple in Asian cuisine, easily fitting into both savoury and sweet dishes like soups and desserts. They’re not just tasty but also super nutritious! Lotus seeds are a low-GI food packed with protein, B vitamins, and essential minerals. They’re great for heart health and can even help improve sleep. Perfect for adding a healthy twist to your meals! 🌸
Snow fungus: Snow fungus is traditionally used in Chinese medicine. It is believed to help with lung health. It also contains polysaccharides which is an good antioxidents and boots our immu system.
Goji berry (babury wolfberry fruit): Gogi berry is one of the most widely used ingredients in Taiwanese foods, including soup, dishes, and desserts. You will see them a lot in the recipes on Bubble Foodex! They are famous for being rich in antioxidants and supporting our eye health.
Jujube (Chinese Red Date): Jujubes are commonly used in Chinese desserts and soups. It is rich in antioxidants, low in calories and high in fibre. It is found that extracts from the jujube can improve brain function, immunity, and digestion.
Please remember: While Chinese herbs are beneficial for health, they are similar to herbal teas or traditional foods common in both Western and Eastern cultures. They should not be used as medicine. If you have any health concerns, it's important to consult a doctor.
Quick Steps Snapshot for the Lotus Seeds & Snow Fungus Soup
Prep:
Soak dried lotus seeds until softened (skip if using fresh and remove green core instead).
Soak snow fungus for 10 mins. Trim the hard base & tear into small pieces.
Cook:
3. Add snow fungus + 1.5L water → Boil, then simmer on low heat for 1 hour, stir occasionally. Add water as needed. (Wait until soup turns jelly-like before next step.)
4. Add jujubes, simmer for 30 mins (cut for stronger aroma, or leave whole for subtle flavor).
5. Add lotus seeds, simmer 25 mins (longer = creamier texture).
6. Add goji berries, simmer 15 mins (keep nutrients).
7. Add sugar while warm or honey before serving (optional) — adjust to taste.
Serve:
✨ Enjoy warm or cold
✨ Try it with milk for extra aroma and natural sweetness!
Detailed Step-by-Step Guidance
A. Prepare ingredients:
1. Soak dried lotus seeds in water to soften them. Leave it aside until we need it later on.
If you buy fresh lotus seeds, you do not need to soak them. Instead, you need to remove the green stuff in the middle with a toothpick.
2. Soak snow fungus in water for 10 minutes and then break them into small pieces
Remove the bottom part of the snow fungus because they are hard.
If you like to have a bite of it when you enjoy it, you can make the pieces a bit bigger, but not too big.
B. Let’s start cooking
NOTE: Remember to add a some water when the water level does not cover all ingredients while simmering the soup
3. Add the snow fungus and 1.5L of water into a pot. Once it comes to a boil, turn it down to the lowest heat and let it simmer for 1 hour, or until the soup becomes a bit slippery or jelly-like.
Use a spoon to stir it from time to time to avoid burning at the bottom.
Add some water from time to time to make sure water always covers all the snow fungus.
This step is crucial to making sure the soup develops that slippery, jelly-like texture. Don’t add the jujubes before this happens—otherwise, it won’t turn out right (I learned this the hard way 🥲).
4. Add the jujubes and simmer for 30 minutes, or until you can easily cut them with a spoon.
If you like the aroma of jujubes, you can cut them into small pieces. Then the aroma of it will release more into the soup.
I like the aroma of lotus and white fungus, so I use whole jujubes and cook them until very soft.
5. Add lotus seeds and simmer for 25 minutes
I like the softer lotus seeds because they have a creamy taste when we enjoy them. If you prefer a firmer bite, you can reduce the stewing time.
6. Add goji berries and simmer for 15 minutes
To keep the nutrition of the goji berries, we avoid boiling them for too long.
7. Add sugar while it is still warm (optional)
I don’t add sugar because the jujubes and goji berries already give it a natural sweetness. But if you prefer a sweeter taste, you can add sugar at the end. Alternatively, you can stir in a bit of honey just before serving—this way, everyone can adjust the sweetness to their own liking.
Ready to serve! Lotus Seeds & Snow Fungus Soup can be enjoyed in a few different ways:
Serve it warm or chilled on its own as a dessert.
Add a splash of milk for a lovely milky aroma—they’re a perfect match, especially if you haven’t added any sugar. The milk brings a gentle natural sweetness to the soup.
Chinese Sweet Dessert - Lotus Seeds & Snow Fungus Soup