A basic lotus root soup

There are so many variations to the lotus root soup recipe. Some people add peanuts, dried cuttlefish, chinese herbs and/or dried tangerine peel. I thought I would feature a very basic no-nonsense version with only a handful of red dates to help sweeten the soup. You can add other ingredients that you fancy to this base.

Different parts of the lotus plant can be made into various lotus foods. This soup recipe uses the lotus root and it is a very popular dish.

This soup is traditionally cooked using pork ribs but if you don't like it, go ahead and substitute. It works well with chicken. Or go vegetarian.

Ingredients

600g lotus root
300g pork ribs
5 red dates
1500ml water
Salt to taste

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Directions

1. Wash and clean the lotus root of any mud and dirt. Skin it if you want. If not, scrub thoroughly
2. Cut the roots cross-wise so that they look like wheels
3. Keep the roots immersed in water and a tablespoon of vinegar to prevent them from turning black.
4. Parboil the pork ribs for about 2 minutes
5. Wash the pork ribs to remove any blood and trim off excess fat
6. Combine the water, pork ribs, lotus root and red dates in a soup pot and bring to a boil
7. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours
8. Salt to taste before serving

Directions for the slow cooker

1. Follow directions from 1 to 5
2. Assemble pork ribs and lotus root in the slow cooker and add hot but not boiling water. Put on low and cook for 2 to 3 hours
3. There is less evaporation taking place for the slow cooker version. You will want to adjust the amount of water required. The actual amount depends on the size of your slow cooker. It should be enough to cover all the ingredients completely but not more than 80% full

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This page has been edited and updated on 30 August 2013.

Thanks, Phoebe

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Chinese Soups / Lotus root / Basic lotus root soup