Fresh lotus seeds don't need to be soaked in porridge, but dry lotus seeds need to be soaked in porridge. Fresh lotus seeds will soften after soaking, and nutrients will be lost. Porridge will taste a little soft and glutinous, and the taste will be reduced. However, the water in the dried lotus seeds has been lost, so it will be easier to cook before cooking porridge, and the taste will be improved, otherwise it will be difficult to chew. When cooking porridge with dried lotus seeds, soak it for 3 hours in advance. However, the boiling water temperature is too high, which is easy to destroy the nutrients in the dried lotus seeds. It is recommended to soak in warm water with a temperature not exceeding 80℃.