LOTUS An Asian plant related to the water lily. Its roots, leaves and seeds are used in cookery. The large fan shaped leaves are dried, then used as a wrapping for steamed foods, to which they give a delicate flavour, particularly to rice mixtures. The young leaves are chopped and used in cooking a herb or in the same way as spinach. In Java, lotus leaves are stuffed with prawns (shrimp) and rice, while in China they are stuffed with chopped meat and onion. In Vietnam, lotus seeds which have a nutty taste are used in a very popular sweet soup. In Chinese cookery, the seeds are used dried, when they may be ground to a powder for thickening or simmered to make a sweet filing for steamed buns and other sweet specialities. The dried lotus seeds can be eaten as a snack or used in savoury braised dishes. The seeds are either pickled in vinegar or candied syrup. Lotus roots are the most striking and widely recognized parts of the plant. They are underwater stems, rather than roots, and when cut crossways the hollow channels that run along their length are releaved. Fresh roots have to be thickly peeled and they are often sliced before being boiled or stir-fried. The round holes resulting from the channels give the slices an attractive, flower like appearance. The flavour is delicate, yet distinctive, and the texture is firm and slightly crunchy. Lotus root is known as reukon in Japanese cookery. In Europe and America fresh lotus roots are available in specialist markets and shop scanned lotus root is available prepared and sliced.
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 03:41:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015