Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Lotus Root Soup Recipe

Owner Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) SG ⌚ 5:50 AM
Soup is a must have for dinner in my family. All of us LOVE soup,  any kinda soups, be it clear or thick, herbal or non-herbal, brewing or double-boiling, as long as it is a bowl of piping hot soup, we all LOVE
I always cook my soups for at least 1hr because the long you slow boil the soup, the tastier it is!If it is herbal soups, I'll cook them for at least 2hrs and I'll doubled the amount of Chinese herbs so that the taste will be fantastic:thumbsup:
Today I'm not going write on any herbal soups, maybe some other days. ;) Lotus Root is the main ingredient for today's soup. I promised one of my blogger friends, Kay of Photos and Thoughts of My Home Cooked Meals that I'll write up a recipe of the lotus root soup for her as she would love to see it!I'm very happy and feel so honored because I'd never think that anyone will be interested in my cooking except my family!
Lotus Root (Renkon in Japanese) is a popular vegetable throughout southern and eastern Asia but not as well known in the west. It is the rhizome of the Lotus Plant, a genus of aquatic plants with showy flowers resembling the waterlilies which lead to a common misconception. There are a few names including Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus and Bean of India. It is the National Flower of Egypt, India and Vietnam.  
Native to Asia, Lotus Root is commonly cultivated, believed to have various medicinal qualities in Chinese medicine in the past and have serveral methods of cooking, ie : boiled, blanched, steamed, stewed, stir-fried and deep-fried as the most commonly used. Some even eat it raw but only younger roots because matured roots are slightly bitter and have a taste of tannin, so should not be eaten raw. Lotus Root is full of Dietary Fiber, has a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B1(Thiamin) and Vitamin B6(Pyridoxine). It's also packed with other nutrients like Potassium, Phosphorus, Copper and Manganese.   
In Singapore, Lotus Roots selling at the wet markets are fresher either covered with mud or cleaned ones. You'll get those vacuum packed ones at supermarkets. Choose a nice fresh one that is in light nude-brown color. Older ones are browner, the older it is, the darker color it has. I always buy fresh cleaned ones from the market because those covered with mud look yucky to me and I always have tissue papers stand-by in my hands whenever I do marketing. I just don't like the feeling of having my fingers with soils after touching or taking the veggies and wet after choosing the fish. This is why from young, my mom always says that I'm like a "Missy--Rich man's daughter" (千金小姐), one who can never survive hard-life. 
Ingredients For 2-4 Pax :
 
  • 300g Pork Ribs (Washed and rinsed)
  • 1 Large/2 Small sections of fresh Lotus Root (Peeled, sliced ½ cm thick and soaked in water to prevent it from turning brown)
  • *½ Packet of Raw Peanuts for cooking (Rinsed and soaked in hot water) Optional 
  • 5 Red Dates or more (Washed and rinsed)
  • 2 Honey Dates
  • A Handful of Wolf-berry
  • *2 Liters of water
  • Salt and Light Soy Sauce to taste (I usually add half-half each)
*I always like to add peanuts because it adds extra flavor to the soup, both my girls and my hubby love it so much but I didn't add as I couldn't get the it from the supermarket. :(

How to cook :
  1. If adding peanuts: Fill pot with *3 liters of water, add in peanuts (w/o the soaking hot water) and sliced lotus roots, bring to boil. Once the water boils, lower heat and simmer for 30mins, covered. *Stick to using 2 liters of water if not adding peanuts*
  2. Meanwhile, boil about 1 bowl of water in another small pot, add in the pork ribs to 'wash' in boiling water for about 1-2mins. Take it out and set aside.
  3. After 30mins, add in pork ribs, red dates and honey dates, cover and simmer for another 30-45mins.
  4. Wash and rinse the wolf-berry at the last 20mins, add into soup, add salt and light soy sauce to taste. Boil for the last 15mins and off the heat.
  5. Serve hot and enjoy!
Lotus Root Soup
Cooked on 25 July 2011
This is cooked on 27 April 2011
I added Fresh Burdock Root aka Chinese Yam, commonly known as Huai Shan/Shan Yao(淮山/山药) (Gobo in Japanese)
 
There are a few other soups that I cook very often, ie : Old Cucumber Soup, Watercress Soup, ABC Soup (consists of potato, carrot, sweetcorn, red onion etc that's why we called it the ABC Soup), Ginseng Chicken Herbal Soup, Black Chicken Herbal Soup and many other soups because we just LOVE soups so much and Cantonese (although I'm a Hokkien but my hubby is a Cantonese) believed that Soups are very nutritious and even if you don't have any appetites, at least drink a bowl of piping hot soup!;)
Kay, hope you like this Lotus Root Soup Recipe!

47 Foodies ➸:

KEcker on Wed Aug 03, 08:15:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Lyn, Thank you so much for posting this! It looks delicious!! I would have never thought of adding dates to it. I can't wait to make this soon. I love pork broth :o) Your pics look really good too!!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Wed Aug 03, 09:43:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

You're always welcome Kay and I'm delighted to know that you love pork broth! :D
I truly appreciate your sweet words that you always have for me. Thank you very much! ^.^
Can't wait to see your lotus root soup! ;)

PinayinTexas on Wed Aug 03, 12:12:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Would you believe that I haven't tried lotus roots in my entire life??! Well, I really haven't, and I guess I've been missing a lot! Thanks for this recipe, Lyn! It sounds really good! I love everything in it --- from the ribs to the peanuts and dates! I really hope to try this soon!

Jeno on Wed Aug 03, 12:39:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Lyn, lotus soup is one of my favorite thing to drink, though my Mom has never used Wolf Berries, I have no idea what they look like? OK back to the soup, my sister LOVES lotus soup cooked with pork bones, she would drink the whole pot if she could, and I always worry I won't even get a small bowl when she's around, it's kind of a on going joke between us. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Now I am going to Google Wolf Berries!

Teddy Bento on Wed Aug 03, 03:27:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

I love your lotus soup recipe. So detail , thanks for your effort !
有一阵子没煮了,嘿嘿,今日有空会试试!谢谢!
其实我也是“千金小姐”,因为我不敢碰整只鸡,所以从来没买过,我只敢买局部处理好的鸡!哈!!

PFx on Thu Aug 04, 09:31:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

You must be one of those rare family who likes to have soup with meals. It's a peculiarly pleasant rarity. Living alone, soup pretty much usually is a dish by itself for me.

I like the way you describe the colour perfectly 'nude'-brown. A little racy but 100% correct. Hahaha.

I love lotus root soup too. It's something I even love more in times of sickness.

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Fri Aug 05, 04:10:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

@Tina-- I'm so glad you love this recipe! This soup is really tasty esp. with peanuts and you should try it! Both my girls love it so much that they always had their 2nd helpings whenever I cook this. At times, they will even just have a big bowl of soup w/o rice for dinner! :D
Can't wait to see yours soon! ^.^

@Jeno-- It really feels great to have some jokes between siblings and family, not only do they bring fun, and the closeness too! ;)
I think lotus root soup is one the most common well-liked soup and there're so many different combinations of ingredients added to the same soup. Wolf-berry is one of the most commonly used plant in Chinese medicine. I used to love eating it raw as snack when I was young and both my girls take after me on this. ;)
Btw, soups that are cooked with pork and chicken bones ARE THE BEST! :D

@Teddy Bento-- Tks and so glad that you love this recipe too! :D
我妈叫我 “小姐”(福建话)是因为我小时不敢碰那么一些些肮脏(觉得超恶)的东西!嘻嘻!可是自从有了小孩就(被逼的)习惯了,但是如果太脏就过不了关了。哈哈!
你不敢碰整只鸡是因为觉得很恶心吗?哪你不是只买某些部位而已囖?

@PFx-- Oh! I didn't know that bcoz in SG, lots of food stalls do have soups, some stalls (which are also getting more & more) are mainly just tonic/double-boiled/herbal soups+plain rice, we even have home-catering services that provide lunch/dinner meals that include soups for busy, working families. So I was quite surprised (wondering why too) that you comment that... haha
Frankly, at that moment while writing this post, I don't really think much for the word 'nude' as I was trying to find another word rather than using 'skin' color which sounds a little.. just not right describing it's skin color. Hee :P
Maybe you can cook lotus soup when you're going home in few weeks time? So that you can have all your fav dishes PLUS soup together with your family! :D

*So sorry for my late replies.

Nami | Just One Cookbook on Tue Aug 09, 06:08:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Lyn! Sorry for my late visit on your blog. After marrying to a Chinese, I learned the importance of having soup in the meal. I've tried so many kinds, including Lotus Root soup. Yours look so delicious!!! What a great broth. I love lotus root, the crunchyness.... I'll be drinking this soup while everyone moves onto main course... :-)

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Wed Aug 10, 03:39:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Nami! There's no need to be sorry about, no worries at all, I understand. ;)
Tks so much for your sweet words! I love its crunchiness when fried as tempura but in soup, I'll prefer it to be soft and the starchy texture similar to potato... :)

Bento Cat on Fri Aug 12, 09:21:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hey Lyn, thank u for dropping by my blog at bentocat.blogspot.com :D This Lotus Root Soup recipe looks fantastic btw! Oh yes, and I have started to follow you. Look fwd to reading your updates <3

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Fri Aug 12, 09:32:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Shanna! Tks for your time visiting too!:D
Thank you so much for following and your interest in my posts is greatly appreciated! ^.^
Have a wonderful weekend!

tata | bonitafood on Sat Aug 13, 02:21:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Count me in! I heart soup too ^^. Lyn, I never eat lotus roots and have never seen them directly. But, I always love to look at them, physically so appealing hehe :D

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Sat Aug 13, 04:42:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanks Tata! You should try it when have a chance! Lotus roots are not only beautiful and appealing, they're really very delicious and have different kinda textures (choosing them takes a part too but I don't really know how to choose, just take those that look nice to me.. lol) when you cook them using different methods and also with the length of time cooked taken into consideration! ;D

tata | bonitafood on Mon Aug 15, 04:10:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hemmm.... take a note on that, thanks :D

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Mon Aug 15, 06:18:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

You're always welcome Tata! :D
Have a great day! ^.^

Caroline Taylor on Tue Aug 16, 04:31:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

This looks lovely. I've only had lotus root a few times before but never in a soup!

Manuela on Tue Aug 16, 08:55:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Such a great post Lyn! I had never seen lotus root before started blogging! I love how it looks... so elegant! And your soup look soooo yummy!!!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Tue Aug 16, 08:52:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

@All That I'm Eating- Thank you very much for your time visiting and your sweet comment. :D
Maybe you'd like to try it in your soup the next time when you cook lotus root! Try it, really nice! ;)

@Manu- THANKS Manu! ;D
Lotus roots are not as common in the European countries as in Asia, that's why :)
Yeah, those small little/tiny holes (just like tunnels before slicing or cut) on the lotus root is already very unique! You should try it some day, it's really yummy! ^.^

cookingvarieties on Tue Aug 23, 05:34:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

hi and many thanks for following.
first time i see a lotus root soup recipe. ..surely a must try, thanks and have a nice day

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Wed Aug 24, 05:14:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

@ cookingvarieties- Hi, nice to know you and your lovely informative blog full of delish foods! ;D
So glad that you like this recipe and hope you'll like the taste of it when you try! Have a wonderful day! ^.^

Lia Chen on Wed Aug 24, 06:48:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Lyn, I want this soup now. Love lotus root soup! I don't know if it's true or not but my mom always said that lotus root has a cooling agent on it. So for the hot weather, this soup is perfect :)

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Wed Aug 24, 11:55:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Lia, yes, your mom is right. Lotus root helps to reduce 'heatiness' in our body, so I always cook this soup for my family at least once a week. ;)

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake on Thu Aug 25, 06:49:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Oh, I love soup, too! Can't wait till the temps drop...lots of new ones to try :) The lotus root is so beautiful!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Thu Aug 25, 06:54:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Lizzy! Tks so much for your time visiting and your lovely comment! Greatly appreciated! ;D
Hope you'll like this soup too! Have a great day! ;)

Kath (My Funny Little Life) on Fri Aug 26, 08:35:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Fancy! :D I've seen another Asian lotus root soup recipe somewhere on the blogsphere, and it also used dates and wolfberried. So unusualy! (For me.)

I'm rather new to lotus root, but I used it for a stir fry or soup a few times and found it quite interesting, although the taste is a little bland, if you ask me ... But it adds so much beauty to every dish! :)

Alice Law on Fri Aug 26, 08:50:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Your double boiled lotus soup looks absolutely delicious with sufficient wok heat!

Your girls are blessed with a health conscious and dedicated mommy!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Sat Aug 27, 08:17:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Alice! Thank so much for your sweet words! Greatly appreciated and I'm flattered! LOL

Hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family! :D

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Sat Aug 27, 08:33:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Tks Kath! I'm so happy to see you again! (Sorry for MIA-ing for quite sometime :P)

Red dates and wolf berries are usually 'working hand in hand' in most Asian Soups, esp herbal soups and Chinese medicines. :)

Although lotus root is bland in taste but I find that it's a very unique taste besides adding beauty to a dish with it. Maybe you could try brewing your lotus root soup longer with some pork ribs or any meats of you preference for more taste in it, otherwise, just stir-fry it which will be tastier. ;)

Have a great weekend and see ya around! :D

Kath (My Funny Little Life) on Sat Aug 27, 04:50:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

I'll try the brewing next time! Maybe not with pork ribs, though. I usually buy them pre-boiled (just packaged with water) at the Asian supermarket. So, maybe it would also work to marinate them. :)

Have a lovely weekend!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Sat Aug 27, 05:21:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Sure Kath and do let me know how it turns out when you try! ;D

Miss ya! ;)

Biren on Sun Aug 28, 10:43:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

My family really likes this soup and I cook it whenever I can get fresh lotus root at the Asian market. We like itwith some peanuts :)

tinyskillet on Sun Aug 28, 10:44:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Lyn, this soup sounds so good with all the great ingredients. I would love the peanuts in there. Hard to find fresh lotus root around here, but we can get the raw peanuts easy!

I am trying to keep up on all the wonderful blogs I follow. I am back to work in the school clinic, and it's been crazy! So much to do ...so little time! :D Have a great day!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Mon Aug 29, 12:37:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

@Biren-> Great! I'd love to see your yummy lotus root soup when you cook it!
Yeah, my family loves this soup with peanuts too, esp my 2 gals! ;D
Hope you've a great weekends and see ya around! ^.^

@Lyndsey-> Tks Lyndsey! ;D
You can also use those vacuum pack ones if you can't get fresh ones. ;)
Oh, that's great that you're back to work but I'm so sorry to know that you're so busy at work.
please don't worry much about not able to keep up all the blogs you followed, just drop by when you've got the extra time to do so. We understand that everyone's has got they own stuffs and all to busy with besides blogging, esp for food bloggers. It's not that easy to really keep up with ALL blogs, not even for me who's not working, not to mention those who need to work just like you. So pls put your heart at ease.
Hope you're enjoying your weekends!
See ya around! ;D

Tes on Mon Aug 29, 01:23:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

What a wonderful recipe! It sounds really comforting! I never get to try many savoury lotus root recipe. I used to try sweet version- braised in syrup.
I can't wait to try this hot soup :)
Tes
http://tesathome.com

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Mon Aug 29, 01:51:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Tes! Tks so much for your lovely words! ;D
I'm the opposite! I've never try the sweet version and this sounds interesting! Do you have any recipe of that in your blog? I'd love to try it! ;)
Do let me know if you like the savory version when you cook! Enjoy your weekends! I'm going over yours to search for the sweet version now! ^.^

Sandra on Mon Aug 29, 06:17:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Lyn, I never had lotus, and looking at your pictures maybe I should.:)) Great recipe! My family and I have soups almost everyday, so this is something new and delicious! Thank you for sharing!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Mon Aug 29, 06:26:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Tks Sandra! Hope you and your family like it when you try! ;)
Yeah, same here! We must have soup everyday unless I cook something else other than rice. Both my girls will complain if there's no soup of the day! LOL

Cooking Gallery on Tue Aug 30, 03:23:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Like you and your family, I love soups too...:D)!! I can have a bowl of soup any day :).

So sorry that I didn't notice your comment from some time ago, I didn't really have the chance to be online often when I was in Jakarta, or I'd really love to meet up with you in Singapore :), but I was only there for 3 days anyway, maybe next time when I visit Singapore again we should arrange a meet-up, must be fun :D)!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Tue Aug 30, 04:23:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

@Cooking Gallery No worries about it at all, don't be sorry. ;)
There'll always be a chance and yeah, that will be so exciting and fun! :D

Biren on Fri Sep 02, 11:13:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Lyn, I have already posted the soup sometime back. Here is the link if you are interested http://www.rotinrice.com/2011/06/lotus-root-and-peanut-soup/. Have a lovely weekend!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Fri Sep 02, 11:28:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

@Biren Oh tks so much for your link! I'll check it out later! ;D

Have a wonderful weekends! ;)

ChopinandMysaucepan on Sat Sep 10, 11:28:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

This is one of my all-time fave chinese soups. The red dates and goji berries give the soup such a wonderfully sweet taste and the pork ribs are so soft and succulent! Thanks for posting and sharing your beautiful recipe!

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Sun Sep 11, 01:36:00 AM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

@Chopinandmysaucepan.com Hi, thank you so much for your time visiting and your sweetest comment. Greatly appreciated! ;D

Quay Po Cooks on Mon Sep 19, 03:51:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

Lyn, I remember when my first late hubby was alive, we drink this soup every often espcially during festive season like reunion dinner, CNY eve, and "Tung". Now my mum still make this soup now and then and when I drink the soup, I can't help but miss my first late hubby, Michael and the fond memories we had together.

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Mon Sep 19, 07:26:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

@Quay Po Cooks Hi Quay Po, my family loves this soup a lot and I cook it almost every week. ;)
I'm so sorry to know about your late husband but it's always good to have great memories together and I'm sure Micheal will be very glad to know that you're well-taken care of and living every happy moments. ;)
PS: Sorry, I'm not really good at words so pls pardon me if I've said anything wrong. *hugs*

melonpan on Sun Sep 25, 03:35:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

i also had make Oyakodon (http://my-little-japanese-world.blogspot.com/2011/09/oyakodon.html) i it so tasty :-)

Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) on Mon Sep 26, 07:09:00 PM GMT+8 said... Best Blogger Tips

@melonpan Tks for the link, melonpan. I'll check it out now! ;)
Hope you've a gtreat day!

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