Lotus seed, lily bulb, ginkgo dessert (莲子百合白果糖水)

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.