2026 Mid-Autumn Special Recipe 🌕🥣

September 24, 2026

Water caltrops are a familiar offering during Mid-Autumn Festival prayers in Malaysia. According to traditional Chinese customs, parents or elders would encourage children to eat water caltrops as they were believed to symbolise cleverness and intelligence.

But after the prayers are over, many of us (especially the younger generation) often don't know what to do with them. Some may even wonder… What exactly are water caltrops? 🤭

As a wellness soup brand, BENAFIT would love to introduce two delicious ways to turn those water caltrops into nourishing homemade soups. So after your Mid-Autumn Festival prayers, don't let them go to waste!

In traditional food culture, water caltrops are also used in soups as part of a nourishing diet.

Two Simple Water Caltrop Soup Recipes

One is made with meat, while the other is suitable for vegetarians:

🍄 Mushroom & Chicken Soup

- 10 water caltrops
- 1–2 chicken legs
- 50g dried tea tree mushrooms
- 50g dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 slices of ginger

🌿 Vegetarian Soup

- 10 water caltrops
- 1 ear of corn
- 20g lotus seeds
- 6–8 red dates
- 15g goji berries

🍲 How to Prepare

Peel and clean the water caltrops, then add them to a pot together with the other ingredients and approximately 2 litres of water.

Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1–2 hours. This recipe makes approximately 3–4 servings.

💡 A Small Tip When Preparing Water Caltrops

When using water caltrops to make soup, it is recommended to remove the shell and use only the white flesh inside.

After removing the shell, make sure to peel away the thin brown outer membrane surrounding the flesh as well. Otherwise, it may give the soup a slightly bitter or astringent taste.

For easier peeling, you can first boil the fresh water caltrops in water for around 5–10 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water and rinse briefly with cold water before peeling off the shell and membrane.

The membrane is easiest to remove while the flesh is still slightly warm. 😊

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BENAFIT No-Cook Soup makes it easy to enjoy a warm cup of herbal soup without the hassle of: