Lotus root soup is prepared with mild flavored rhizomes or roots of the lotus stem plant. These starchy roots are widely used in Chinese cooking especially in vegetarian soups to add richness matching the non-vegetarian soups owing to fatty cuts of meat.
Lotus root remains crunchy even after long cooking and it does not have a very strong flavor of its own, hence, it easily soaks in the flavor of spices and other ingredients. Lotus root also adds beauty to the soup owing to the cross-section cut slices that appear like wheels.
Preparation of Lotus Root Soups
Preparation of lotus root soup involves proper cleaning and cutting of fresh lotus plant rhizome that is normally covered with pond mud, in which, it is generally harvested. It is advisable to peel the skin of the rhizome before using it for cooking. Cross section slices are cut from the rhizome and added to the soup. If not used for a long time, the lotus root slices can be kept immersed in water with lemon juice, to avoid discoloration.
Metal pots and pans are generally not used to keep or cook the lotus root, as this may turn the color of the roots to black.
The final cooking for almost all lotus root soups involve cooking of root slices in either meat broth or vegetable broth and seasoning in the end. At least 1 ½-2 hours are required to get the lotus root turn tender and chewy, though the texture would be crunchy.
There are several recipes of lotus root soup that may contain cuttlefish, tangerine peel or Chinese herbs for flavoring. However, any kind of vegetable or meat can be incorporated in these soups.
Popular Lotus Root Soups
Benefits of Lotus Root Soup
This soup is one of the healthiest soups in Chinese cuisine, as it requires minimal seasoning and negligible amount of fats. Lotus root as an ingredient is found to be a rich source of vitamin C, dietary fiber and potassium.