Candied Pounded Lotus Root

Name: Candied Pounded Lotus Root
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 400 g old white lotus root (choose mature lotus root); 75 g glutinous rice; 5 g sugared green plum shreds; 5 g shredded candied kumquat cake; 25 g honey dates; 50 g fresh lotus seeds; 25 g eggs; 1 g fine salt; 15 g starch (for egg batter and thickening); 50 g white sugar; 500 g rendered lard (for frying and greasing the bowl; about 30 g actually absorbed); 20 g honey

A classic Jiangsu sweet dish featuring lotus root slices that are soft, glutinous, and sweet, prepared with careful technique.

1h 30m

Easy

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Ingredients

old white lotus root (choose mature lotus root) 400 g

glutinous rice 75 g

sugared green plum shreds 5 g

shredded candied kumquat cake 5 g

honey dates 25 g

fresh lotus seeds 50 g

eggs 25 g

fine salt 1 g

starch (for egg batter and thickening) 15 g

white sugar 50 g

rendered lard (for frying and greasing the bowl; about 30 g actually absorbed) 500 g

honey 20 g

Instructions

Soak the glutinous rice

Rinse the glutinous rice, then soak it in 60°C warm water for 20 minutes.

Stuff and steam the lotus root

Wash the lotus root and trim off both ends. On one end keep the lotus holes intact; from the other end, push the glutinous rice into the holes (do not pack too tightly). Tap the holes closed with the back of a knife, then steam in a steamer until very tender. Remove, peel off the skin, and cut lengthwise into slices about 6 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick.

Pound the lotus root

Mix the eggs with dry starch to make a batter. Coat the lotus root slices with the batter, then dust evenly with more dry starch. Repeatedly pound the slices flat with a rolling pin until the lotus root becomes fluffy and loosened.

Fry the lotus root

Place a wok over the heat, add the rendered lard, and heat to about 60% hot (around 132°C). Add the lotus root slices one by one and fry until pale yellow, then remove. Cut each slice crosswise into long strips.

Arrange in a bowl and steam

Grease a bowl with rendered lard. Arrange the sugared green plum shreds, candied kumquat shreds, honey date shreds, and lotus seeds in the bottom of the bowl, then layer in the lotus root strips. Add the white sugar and rendered lard, and steam in a steamer for 15 minutes. Remove and invert onto a serving plate.

Make the sauce and serve

Place a wok over the heat. Pour off the juices that have collected on the plate into the wok, add a suitable amount of water, white sugar, and honey, and bring to a boil. Thicken with a starch slurry, then pour over the lotus root and serve.