Cool Down with Lotus

The weather's becoming crazily warm these days. It's to be anticipated as the run-up to Chinese New Year, which falls on 29 January this year, is often hot and dry in Penang. The sun is really high in the sky and the heat penetrates through walls, literally!

On days like these, I am reminded of my childhood where the day's menu would feature cooling soups and sometimes, porridge or congee.
One of the best (and again, easy... if it isn't easy, it won't find its way into my kitchen) soups for warm days when the appetite is waning is a bowl of lotus root soup.

Lotus root soup cures heat in the body, relieves dizziness and heatstroke. It also relieves constipation and improves appetite.

Lotus root comes from the lotus plant, from which you get the beautiful lotus flower. You can also get lotus seeds from lotus pods. The seeds have medicinal value and often the dried seeds (with the green pith removed) are used in herbal soups. The fresh seeds can also be eaten raw, and not everyone likes the taste though.

I haven't seen any fresh lotus pods in Penang though I can get it easily for RM1 per bunch in Ipoh. Here's how a fresh bunch of lotus pods look like (see below).

Anyway, the lotus root is another magic ingredient by itself. You can buy it in any wet market. Ask if it is from China. China-grown lotus roots are bigger and more robust. Locally grown ones are skinnier, according to my vegetable-seller at the Lip Sin market.

Lotus root can be made into a savoury soup or you can also turn it into a dessert (or 'sweet soup'). Just wash the root and peel off the outer skin with a potato peeler. Then slice thinly.

If you want a 'sweet soup'/ dessert, just boil the root slices with 3-4 pitted red dates in a pot of water and add rock sugar when it has simmered for about 45 minutes. It's a lovely cooling drink especially if it is chilled slightly. You can discard the lotus root slices.

For a savoury soup, just place the root slices into a pot of boiling water. Add 6-8 pitted red dates and 300 gm of blanched pork ribs. Again, as with all soups, bring to a rapid boil for 10 minutes. Then cover and simmer for 2 -3 hours. Add salt and a little soya sauce when the soup is almost done. And you'll have a wonderfully light lotus root soup to go with your rice.

Goji Berry, Chrysanthemum & Red Date Tea

I've been making this simple tea for a few times already. Not sure if I had shared this before but all it needs are 3 ingredients - dried goji berries, dried red dates and dried chrysanthemum bulbs. This sugar-less concoction is good for health especially if you want to maintain immunity. It's even more important these days what with the pandemic and Covid-19. But it is also a pleasant brew - no boiling needed. All you need is a handful of goji berries (washed and soaked for 5 minutes in water), 3-5 large dried red dates and a teaspoon of dried chrysanthemum flowers (these are the small heads of flowers, not the usual type for making chrysanthemum tea). Put all the ingredients in a teapot and pour in boiling water. Let it sit for 10 minutes and voila, you have made yourself a healthy tea without sugar. It has a natural sweetness from the red dates and goji berries. And once you have drunk all the tea, you can continue adding more boiling water for a second b...

The Remarkable Nut of Nuts

In this recipe, walnuts and dried red dates are combined to make a healthy and life-giving dessert. And with honey added, it packs a punch. A truly simple dessert which is used to prevent the usual flu magnets - colds and coughs. It helps too with your kidneys and with bowel movement. Walnuts are much revered in Chinese medicine, not least because the nut resembles the brain! Again, the Chinese believe that walnuts are good snacks for children as they help boost brain power which is true because of the high amounts of Omega 3 fats (good for the brain). Walnuts are of course a good source of essential omega-3 fatty acids and in Roman times, considered the food of the gods. Walnuts are a 'yang' tonic and useful for toning up weak kidneys. It also warms lung Qi while acting as a laxative, moistening the intestines (hence encouraging bowel movement if you are constipated). Walnuts are called Hu Tao Ren (juglans regia) in Chinese medicine. Walnut & Red Date Dessert 150 gm walnut...

Anti-Aging Soup with the Vine that Ate the South

Clockwise, from top: fresh corn, dang shen, goji berries,& kudzu root Quite an intriguing title for today's post right? I was introduced to this soup by the auntie in the Lip Sin market. She's a regular grandma in her 60s but she operates a vegetable stall in the market and she's often my source of recipes, particularly soups. Last week, she introduced me to fresh kudzu. See that blob above in the photo that looks like a turnip or "bangkuang"? She told me it's called "fen kok" in Cantonese. I have never come across it before. I am particularly excited when I come across ingredients I've never used. This was no different. So I asked her what I could do with this "fen kok". She told me that it's good for boiling soups. She even told me that I should boil "fen kok" with some fresh corn, goji berries and "tong sum" (Cantonese) or "dan shen" (Chinese sage or salvia miltiorrhiza) and of cour...

The Soup Queen

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