Wild cordyceps and lotus root soup, double-boiled in the Ten Lei Yen EZ Steamer, is a clear pork broth built for a multi-generation table: sliced lotus root, pork ribs, ginger, and wild cordyceps sinensis go into the steamer's insert together and cook low and slow until the broth turns pale gold and the lotus root turns tender. It's timed here for Saturday, October 17, the day before Double Ninth (Chung Yeung), which falls on Sunday, October 18, 2026, when three generations are often at the same table.
Key Takeaways
- The EZ Steamer's covered insert replaces a separate double-boiler setup — load it once and let it run.
- Total cook time is about 2 to 2.5 hours, longer than a sweet nest bowl, because the pork and lotus root need time to soften.
- Wild cordyceps sinensis is added for its earthy, faintly mushroom-sweet aroma and the way each piece holds its shape in a long-simmered broth.
- Ginger is appropriate here — this is a savoury soup, unlike a sweet bird's-nest bowl.
- Serve it the day before Double Ninth, when grandparents, parents, and children are often gathered together.
Why This Soup Suits a Double Ninth Table
Double Ninth, or Chung Yeung, falls on Sunday, October 18, 2026, and is built around family gatherings that include the elders in the room. A shared pot at the center of the table — ladled out bowl by bowl — suits that kind of meal better than individual plates, and a clear, long-simmered broth like this one holds well while everyone is served in turn.
Ingredients for a Family-Size Pot
Serves 4–6 as part of a shared meal.
500 g pork ribs, blanched; 1 medium lotus root (about 400 g), peeled and sliced into rounds; about 6 g wild cordyceps sinensis (roughly 10–12 pieces); 4–5 thin slices fresh ginger; water to the EZ Steamer's fill line (about 1.2–1.5 litres); salt, to taste, added at the end.
Setting Up the EZ Steamer
Fill the EZ Steamer's outer reservoir to its marked line and set the insert in place. This is the method we use for wild cordyceps at Ten Lei Yen — never a rice cooker or an Instant Pot — because the insert seals and steams gently rather than boiling the broth directly, which keeps the soup clear instead of cloudy over a long cook.
Method: Double-Boiling the Soup
Blanch the pork ribs in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, then rinse under cold water. Layer the ribs, lotus root, and ginger into the EZ Steamer's insert, and add water up to the fill line. Scatter the wild cordyceps pieces over the top, cover, and set the steamer to double-boil for about 2 to 2.5 hours, until the lotus root is tender and the broth has turned a pale gold. Season with salt only in the final few minutes — salting too early can toughen the pork. Ladle into a shared tureen or individual bowls and bring straight to the table.
What Wild Cordyceps Adds to the Bowl
Wild cordyceps sinensis brings an earthy, faintly mushroom-sweet aroma to the broth as it simmers. Each piece is a small, tan-golden segmented body with a single slender stalk, and the pieces stay clearly separate rather than breaking down — they hold a slight bite through the full 2 to 2.5 hour double-boil, which is part of what makes them worth spooning out individually rather than straining them from the pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ginger be used in this recipe?
Yes. This is a savoury soup, and ginger is used normally here — the rule against ginger only applies to Ten Lei Yen's sweet bird's-nest bowls, not to savoury cordyceps dishes.
Related reading: Cordyceps at the Mid-Autumn Reunion Table, Wild Cordyceps and Duck Soup for the Mid-Autumn Reunion Table, Wild Cordyceps and Asian Pear Soup, Lightly Sweet, and the Ten Lei Yen EZ Steamer. Shop wild cordyceps.
Alina @ TLY
