Velvety Purple Sweet Potato Dessert Soup

Get ready to fall in love with one of the coziest, most beautiful dessert soups you’ll ever make. This vibrant purple sweet potato soup is a true one-pot wonder that’s incredibly simple to prepare, yet feels wonderfully luxurious. With just a handful of ingredients, this recipe transforms into a warm, nourishing treat in about an hour of gentle simmering. It’s the perfect “set it and forget it” dish. The flavor is gently sweet, and the texture is a delightful mix of tender, melt-in-your-mouth sweet potato and the soft, gelatinous snow fungus. It’s a comforting and wholesome dessert that’s perfect for warming up on a chilly day or whenever you’re in need of a little self-care in a bowl.

First, let’s gather our ingredients. Don’t be intimidated if a few of these are new to you; they can usually be found at your local Asian market or online, and I’ll offer some simple alternatives. This recipe is wonderfully flexible, so feel free to adjust the sweetness to your liking.

You will need:

• 1 medium Purple Sweet Potato: This is the star of the show, giving our soup its gorgeous color and velvety texture. You can also use a regular orange sweet potato or even a Japanese sweet potato (satsuma-imo) if you can’t find the purple variety, though the color will be different.
• 1 small head of Dried Snow Fungus (about 10g): Also known as tremella mushroom, this fascinating ingredient looks like a dried, crisp loofah. When rehydrated, it blooms into a beautiful, translucent, petal-like mushroom with a unique gelatinous texture. It’s highly prized for its nourishing properties.
• 8g Dried Lily Bulb: These are the dried scales of lily flower bulbs. They have a subtly sweet, slightly starchy flavor and become soft and tender when cooked. If you can’t find them, you can simply omit them from the recipe.
• 1-2 tbsp Rock Sugar: This type of sugar provides a mild, clean sweetness. You can easily substitute it with regular granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup. Adjust the amount based on how sweet you like your desserts.
• 1 tbsp Goji Berries: These small, red berries add a pop of color and a touch of tangy sweetness. They are widely available in most supermarkets and health food stores these days.
• Approximately 4-5 cups of Water

Now for the fun part! This soup practically makes itself once you’ve done a little prep work. Just follow these simple steps, and you’ll be on your way to a warm and soothing treat.

1. Start by rehydrating the dried ingredients. Place the dried lily bulb in a small bowl and cover it with cool water. Let it soak for about 30 minutes.
2. In a separate, larger bowl, place the dried snow fungus and cover it completely with cool water. It will float at first, so you might need to place a small plate on top to keep it submerged. Let it soak for at least an hour, or until it has fully softened and expanded into a soft, jelly-like texture.
3. Once the snow fungus is fully rehydrated, drain it and rinse it well. Trim off the tough, yellowish core at the base, as it can be chewy. Then, tear the rest of the fungus into small, bite-sized pieces with your hands.
4. While the other ingredients are soaking, prepare the purple sweet potato. Peel it and cut it into small, 1-inch (2-3 cm) cubes.
5. Now, it’s time to assemble everything. Place the torn snow fungus pieces into a medium-sized pot or saucepan.
6. Drain the soaked lily bulbs and add them to the pot.
7. Add the cubed purple sweet potato.
8. Add your rock sugar (or sweetener of choice).
9. Finally, toss in the goji berries.
10. Pour in enough water to cover all the ingredients by at least an inch (about 4-5 cups). Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let it simmer gently for about 1 hour. Tip: For an even more gelatinous and thicker soup, you can let it simmer for up to 1.5 hours. The soup is ready when the purple sweet potato is fork-tender and the snow fungus is soft and glutinous.

The moment you lift the lid, you’ll be greeted by a stunning, deep purple color and a wonderfully sweet aroma. The sweet potato pieces soften beautifully, partially melting into the soup to create a rich, velvety body. The snow fungus becomes incredibly tender, with a slippery, jelly-like texture that is so satisfying to eat. This dessert soup can be enjoyed warm right off the stove, which is my favorite way to have it, but it’s also delicious when served chilled. It’s a simple, elegant, and deeply comforting dish that feels like a hug from the inside. I truly hope you give this recipe a try; it’s a fantastic introduction to the world of nourishing dessert soups. If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you in the comments below