Lotus 莲蓉 liánróng

Lotus root dish

Another very tasty and unusual dish we had one night was this very beautifully presented lotus root. It was cooked with glutinous rice so was surprisingly sweet. The lotus is a water plant with enormous leaves and flowers. When the flower wilts only the seed pods are left. These are often used in soups or medicines. The leaves are used for wrapping around other foods for steaming. The roots are usually very crunchy and are used in a variety of dishes. When they are cut in cross section as these were, they look like snowflakes. So every part of the plant is used and nothing is wasted.

Traversing a lotus pond in Chang Feng Park