According to traditional Chinese medicine, spring dryness easily damages the lungs. Lily, with its slightly bitter and sweet taste, neutral nature, and the effects of moistening the lungs and stopping coughs, calming the mind, has a good therapeutic effect on lung dryness and spleen conditions, and is suitable for middle-aged and elderly people to eat regularly. Below are several delicious lily recipes.
Lily Stir-Fried with Water Chestnuts
Ingredients: 6 liang (about 240g) fresh lily, 4 liang (about 160g) minced pork, 10 water chestnuts, 2 teaspoons ginger, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 tablespoon oil, 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons broth, 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
Instructions: Cut the fresh lily into halves, wash and drain. Peel and chop the water chestnuts. Marinate the minced pork with the seasoning for 15 minutes. Heat a wok, add 1 tablespoon of oil, stir-fry the minced pork until cooked, then add the fresh lily, water chestnuts, and ginger. Stir-fry evenly, then add the seasoning and stir-fry until the sauce thickens. Lily can stop coughs and nourish the lungs, while water chestnuts can remove phlegm and clear accumulated food. Fresh lily has a mild flavor, so a small amount of ginger and minced meat can be added to enhance the taste without causing coldness or dryness.
Steamed Pumpkin with Lily
Ingredients: About 600g old pumpkin, 100g fresh lily, sugar as needed.
Instructions: Peel and wash the old pumpkin, slice it and place the slices in a bowl with the skin side down to maintain the shape of the pumpkin. Wash the fresh lily and place it in the pumpkin, then add sugar. Steam until cooked. Invert the pumpkin from the bowl onto a plate and remove the bowl. The ideal pumpkin is the red pumpkin from Hunan and Jiangxi provinces after August. If unavailable, small pumpkins from Guangdong can be used as well. Try to maintain the shape of the pumpkin during cooking, so that when it is inverted, it can present the feeling of "a universe within".
Lily with Vegetable Medley
Ingredients: 150g fresh lily, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 green bell pepper, 50g red kidney beans, vegetable oil, salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, ginger, water starch.
Instructions: Boil the red kidney beans with a little salt until fully cooked (it is better to soak them in water beforehand to save cooking time). Remove and set aside. Slice and wash the fresh lily. Cut the bell peppers into small square pieces. Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a pan, stir-fry the bell peppers and lily for a moment, then add the kidney beans, salt, monosodium glutamate, ginger, a little sugar, and stir-fry evenly. Finally, thicken the sauce with water starch and remove from the heat. Fresh lily can be found in vacuum packaging in stores, or dried lily can be used, although the effect may be slightly inferior.
Lily Stir-Fried with Fish Slices
Ingredients: 200g grass carp slices, 200g sweet peppers, 15g scallions, 15g ginger, 30g dried lily. Seasonings: 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon cooking wine, a little ground pepper, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
Instructions: Soak the dried lily in water for about 2 hours, then drain. Marinate the fish slices with a little salt, ground pepper, and cooking wine for 10 minutes, then mix in the cornstarch and blanch in boiling water. Chop the scallions and ginger into small pieces, and slice the sweet peppers. Heat 2 tablespoons of salad oil in a wok, stir-fry the scallions and ginger until fragrant, then add 1/3 cup of water and bring to a boil. Finally, add the lily, sweet peppers, and grass carp slices. Stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes, add salt and sesame oil before removing from the heat, and mix well.
Lily, Lotus Seeds, and Red Bean Soup
Ingredients: 500g red beans, 30g white lotus seeds, 10g lily, dried tangerine peel as needed, about 500g rock sugar.
Instructions: Wash the red beans, lotus seeds, and lily, then soak them in water for two hours. Boil water and add the red beans (and the soaking water), dried tangerine peel, lotus seeds, and lily to the pot. Simmer on low heat for two hours, then switch to high heat for about half an hour. When the red beans become sandy and there is still some liquid, add sugar to taste. The sweetness can be adjusted according to personal preference.
The red beans do not need to be soaked for too long, at most 1 to 2 hours, and do not use hot water for soaking. Do not use too much dried tangerine peel, but use good quality ones. Water can be added during cooking, but the proportion of beans to water should be controlled. Sugar should be added at the end, or the red beans will not become soft. Switching to high heat at the end is to make the red beans become sandy.
