Lotus Root and Walnut Soup,桃仁莲藕汤

I came across this weird lotus root recipe in a Chinese recipe booklet titled 清肠排毒 (it will be translated to "detoxification") and decided to try this idea using the remaining lotus root (yes, this time truly the last of lotus root!). The recipe called for just two ingredients: lotus root and walnuts, plus some salt and pepper seasonings. WHAaaat? That's it? And walnuts? Weird.


As you can see, there are more ingredients in my Lotus Root and Walnut Soup. With my "itchy" hands, I don't think the dish fits for detox anymore as I have added aromatics (onions, garlic, Chinese celery) to flavor up the entire dish.


Chinese celery ( more usually known as 药芹 in Chinese, literally meaning Medicinal Celery) is quite different from the regular celery. The Chinese celery originated in a form of wild celery (the stems/stalks of the Chinese celery are much thinner, and more leafy). Chinese celery also has a much stronger (pungency of medicine) and flavor, thus used like a herb (similar to parsley or cilantro) in cooking. Chinese celery can be a popular garnish to soups.

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Lotus Root Broccoli Stems Stir-Fry 清炒莲藕 (II)

With broccoli stems that were "saved" from two week's supply of broccoli and (the last of) lotus root and - this easy stir-fry is absolutely budget-friendly, tasty and....crunchy!

How do you use the stems of broccoli?


Easy.

Lotus Root and Broccoli Stems Stir-Fry
Garlic, thin slices of broccoli stems and thin slices of lotus root. Quick stir-fry for 10 minutes till veggies are cooked. Garnish with some finely chopped cilantro if you prefer.

Done.

Lotus root can be stir-fried and served raw as pickle. What's next?

Tag: stir fry, lotus root, broccoli stems

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Summer Lotus Root Pickle 凉拌莲藕

This easy chilled appetizer of lotus root can be such a summer refresher before lunch or dinner. I usually enjoy this appetizer before main dishes are served in some Chinese restaurants.


As a "cooling food", lotus root is a welcoming summer delight. Lotus root (renkon in Japanese) is available at Asian supermarkets - 99 Ranch and select Japanese markets, in California, USA.

There are many ways to pickle lotus root, and this is how I "pickle" mine: with lemon juice, honey, sea salt, and red chili flakes.

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Lotus Root (Renkon) Stir-Fry, 清炒莲藕

A widely seen Chinese home-cooked dish utilizing lotus root must be this classic Chinese soup of lotus root with pork/spare ribs. Since I seldom cook pork at home, it also explains why it took me longer than usual to cook lotus root.

As I have said, I was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to buy all the vegetables I could set eyes on after returning from my recent vacation. So I bought some lotus root from the Asian grocery store (a case of not knowing what to do with it - just buy first) and now....need to find more ways with lotus root. How do you usually cook Lotus Root?

To make a refreshing light and flavorsome dish that is vegetarian: a combination of thin slices of celery, carrots and kabocha squash/pumpkin, stir-fried with shallots and garlic, finished off with a little sea salt and white pepper; garnished with finely chopped cilantro and fried shallots.

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