Lotus root

The segmented rhizome of the lotus, dug from pond mud and sold fresh in linked sections. For soup the starchy, thick-noded 'soup lotus root' is chosen, peeled and cut or lightly smashed; hours of boiling make it floury-tender (起粉) and lend the broth a quiet, rounded sweetness, classically with dried octopus and pork bones.

TCM properties

Nature · neutral　Flavour · sweet　Meridians · heart、spleen、stomach

Traditional food therapy

In Cantonese food therapy cooked lotus root strengthens the spleen, opens the appetite and is traditionally held to benefit the blood — the mellow heart of autumn and winter pots.

Cautions — read first

• Not low in starch, so people with diabetes in moderation
• Keep it moderate if you have a weak spleen and bloat easily

Preparation

Peel and cut into lengths, and bruising it draws more flavour out; pick the thick, many-jointed kind sold as soup lotus root (湯藕).

Origin

湖北（洪湖蓮藕）最負盛名；廣州泮塘藕為粵地舊名產 — Fresh Australian retail lotus root is strikingly expensive in winter; frozen slices are the budget route

Availability in Australia

Common at Asian grocers · A$25.19–25.19 / kg
fresh 1kg, sale (was $31.49) — strikingly high winter price; frozen slices $8.98/kg (400g $3.59–3.89)

Pairs well with