Lotus roots are the cylindrical brown or beige rhizomes that come from the lotus flowers. These roots are most commonly used in Asian cooking. They are sometimes stir- or deep-fried, and they are often found in salads, with meat and vegetable dishes or in soups. Gather your ingredients in an Asian specialty foods store, a grocery store or online (see Resources below). Use a half-bag of lotus roots, or slice one lotus root until you have 6 to 8 circular pieces.
Instructions
1. Combine the lotus root pieces, 8 mushrooms and 8 red dates into a bowl. Soak them in warm water for 15 minutes to remove excess dirt. This also prevents the lotus roots from turning black.
2. Wash and prepare at least a half-pound of meat for the soup, whether it is beef, pork or chicken. Cut the skin from the chicken or the fat from the beef or pork. Boil the meat in a separate pot for 2 to 5 minutes or until well done.
3. Remove the red dates and mushrooms and pat dry. Keep the lotus roots in the water for preservation. Slice the stems off the mushrooms, and then chop them into smaller pieces. As an option, wash a small ginger root and a turnip, and then slice a few pieces of each to add to the soup.
4. Pour into a large pot 10 to 12 cups of water. Bring the water to a full boil. Add the mushrooms, dates, lotus roots, turnips and ginger into the hot water. Remove any bones from the chicken, beef or pork before adding to the soup pot.
5. Cook half-covered on medium heat for 90 minutes or until the lotus roots get tender. Cool the soup and skim the fat or grease from the top with a large spoon. Simmer the soup on low heat, add some salt for seasoning and then serve. This lotus root soup makes 4 to 6 servings.
Tags: lotus roots, beef pork, lotus root, from chicken, minutes until, mushrooms dates
