Caramelized Hunan Lotus Seeds (Pulled-Sugar Style)
An innovative Hunan dish featuring the classic pulled-sugar (bā sī) technique, with a crisp exterior and a soft, glutinous center.
Ingredients
Hunan white lotus seeds (peeled and cored)
150 g
Caul fat (washed and patted dry)
200 g
Egg
1
Rendered pork lard
1000 g (100 g actually used)
All-purpose flour
100 g
Granulated sugar
200 g
Osmanthus sugar
25 g
Wet starch
50 g
Instructions
1
Prepare the lotus seeds
Peel and core the lotus seeds, rinse them in warm water, transfer to a bowl, and steam over rapidly boiling water until about 80% tender. Pour off the steaming water, then stir in the granulated sugar and the osmanthus sugar. Crack the egg into a separate bowl, add 50 g of the flour, the wet starch, and a little water, and whisk into a smooth batter.
2
Wrap in caul fat
Rinse the caul fat and let it dry completely. Lay it flat on a cutting board and dust it with a thin layer of flour. Arrange the lotus seeds in a single line at one end, then roll forward about 2 turns to form a short cylinder. Cut the cylinder with a knife, set up another row of lotus seeds, and roll a second cylinder. Repeat until all the lotus seeds and caul fat are used up. Slice the rolls into pieces, keeping about 3 lotus seeds per piece, and arrange them snugly in a serving dish.
3
Deep-fry
Set a wok over high heat, add the lard, and heat to roughly 170 °C (340 °F), about 70% hot. Dip each lotus piece one at a time into the egg batter to coat it fully, then lower gently into the oil. Fry until pale yellow, lift out, scrape off any loose bits of batter, and return the pieces to the oil. Fry a second time until deep golden, then transfer to a strainer to drain off the excess oil.
4
Pull the sugar threads
Leave about 25 g of the hot oil in the wok, add 175 g of the sugar, and cook over low heat, swirling, until it turns a rich golden amber and spins into fine threads when tested. Immediately add the fried lotus pieces and toss quickly so each piece is evenly coated with the syrup. Pile them onto an oiled serving plate, then use chopsticks to lift and pull the syrup into several long, delicate sugar threads draped over the top to finish.
