Lotus root and mung beans in a pressure cooker
This root-forward Cantonese soup uses pork bones and mung beans. It is cooked in liquid, not on a steaming plate. Pressure cooking is the method here; steam timing for an uncovered bowl would not produce the same soup.
Measured ingredients
The original Oh My Food Recipes batch uses 2 lb lotus root (about 900 g), 1.5 lb pork bones (about 680 g), half a US cup dry mung beans and eight US cups water (about 1.9 litres). Salt is adjusted after cooking; the source starts at a quarter teaspoon for this pressure version. These quantities are a full batch, not permission to exceed an appliance’s capacity.
Check capacity before preparing the pot
Read your cooker’s instructions for beans and foaming foods, including the lower fill limit where applicable. If this batch would exceed that limit, reduce every ingredient proportionally or use an appropriate larger cooker. Never compress food under the lid to make it fit.
Rinse the beans and prepare them as their package directs. Peel and rinse the lotus root, cleaning inside the holes, then cut it into slices about 6 mm thick. Put the root, beans, bones and measured water in the cooker. Check that its vent and sealing parts are correctly fitted.
Pressure time is not total time
The source specifies 65 minutes at high pressure followed by natural release. Follow your model’s pressure settings and release instructions; pressurising and depressurising add time. Do not force the lid or use a release method prohibited for bean soups. Open only when the appliance indicates that pressure is gone.
Stir gently and check that the beans and root are tender. Skim excess fat, taste the broth and add salt gradually. Serve the edible meat carefully, keeping loose bones out of individual bowls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do mung beans have to be included?
They are part of this particular recipe and change the body of the broth. For a simpler rib-and-root soup without beans, use the separate stovetop recipe below rather than treating both methods as interchangeable.
Can I use the same water amount on the stove?
No. The author uses ten cups for the stovetop batch and about two hours of gentle cooking because evaporation differs. Use a covered pot and check tenderness rather than applying the pressure-cooker timer.
Storage and sources
Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours, or one hour in temperatures above 32 C. Reheat soup to a boil. See also the simple stovetop rib soup and winter melon soup.
Recipe basis: Tracy’s Cantonese lotus-root and pork soup. Handling guidance: FDA safe food handling. No medicinal benefit is implied by these ingredients.