Ingredients (Serve 8-10)

1. 15-20 red dates
2. 30-40 dried longan (桂圆) approximately as they usually stick together
3. 200 grams lotus seed (莲子) approximately
4. 100 grams lily bulb(百合)
5. 30-40 ginkgo nuts or 1 can of ginkgo nuts, or more if you like
6. 8 bowls water
7. Sugar to taste
8. 2 or 3 pandan leaves

Method

1. Prepare the ginkgo nuts as given in here
2. The day before, soak the lotus seed in hot water till it cool down for 2 hours.  Wash, and put into a slow cooker with water just over the lotus by 4-5 cm, and leave it cook in “auto” for 6 hours.  Check the water level in case it dried out.  Or you can cook it in a pot with very low flame, just to keep the water at boiling point, but not boiling vigorously, so that the lotus do not break apart when soften.  This long cooking will soften the lotus seed such that it will break into soft powdery form in the mouth when chewed (a test to see if the lotus seed is ready).
3. Soak the lily bulb in hot water for 2 hour till it cools down.  Rinse and drain.  In a pot of boiling water, boil the lily bulb for 15 mins, drain and set aside.
4. Put the dried longan and red dates in a pot with 8 bowls of water and boil for 30 mins.  Pour in the precooked lotus seed with the water (you may not add in the powdery residue), the lily bulb, and sugar to sweeten to taste or the sugar solution used to prepare the ginkgo.
5. Add in the pandan leaves and boil for 1 mins.
6. Serve in bowl with ginkgo.

Ingredients (Serve 6)

1. 1/3 cup barley
2. 1/2 packet bean curd skin (三边腐竹)
3. 5-8 red dates
4. 6 bowls water
5. 30-40 ginkgo nuts or 1 can of ginkgo nuts
6. Sugar to taste
7. 2 or 3 pandan leaves
8. 1 egg (optional)

Method

1. Prepare the ginkgo nuts as given in prepare ginko
2. Crush (using hands) the bean curd skin into very tiny pieces when it is dry and crispy. The pieces should be very small, about 1-2 mm size.
3. Wash the barley and red dates.  Put in a pot with water and boil for 1 hour.
4. Add in sugar to taste (or the sugar solution used to prepare the ginkgo nuts).
5. Add in the crushed bean curd skin and boil for 3-5 minutes.  Put in pandan leaves and boil for another minute, off flame.
6. Optional, you may beat an egg in a bowl.  Just before turning off the flame, pour the egg in slowly and stirring slowly at the same time.  Pouring slowly and stirring slowly prevent the egg from cooking into lumps.
7. Serve into bowl, and add in the ginkgo.

Ingredients

1. 1 big yellow onion
2. 2 carrots
3. 3-4 stalks of celery
4. 2 litres of water

Method

1. Wash and cut the ingredients.
2. Put into a pot with 2 litres of cold water.  Bring to boil in medium heat. Once started to boil. continue boiling for another 15-20 minutes.

You may add other odd ends of vegetables like stem of broccoli, cauliflower, mushroom instead of throwing them away.