Sweet lotus root with sticky rice (糯米藕)
Sticky, fragrant & mildly sugary, sweet lotus root with sticky rice is one of the best ways to prepare this attractive vegetable.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 2 hr
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 70 g glutinous rice (1/3 cup, see note 1)
- 2 section lotus roots (see note 2)
- 80 g dark brown sugar or dark muscovado (1/2 cup)
- 10 dried Chinese dates (optional)
- Sweet Osmanthus sauce or honey
Instructions
- 1
Soak glutinous rice in water for at least 2 hours. Drain well.
- 2
Peel the lotus root. From one end of each section, slice off the top 1-2 cm to serve as lids.
- 3
Fill all the holes of the lotus root with the rice. Pushing it down with a chopstick from time to time to make sure the holes are tightly packed.
- 4
Place the “lids” back on. Use a few toothpicks to secure the lids (be careful not to break the flesh of the roots).
- 5
Put the stuffed root into a small saucepan. Add dark brown sugar, Chinese dates and water (enough to cover the roots completely).
- 6
Bring the water to a full boil. Turn the heat down to low. Leave to simmer for 2 hours. Flip the roots and add more hot water halfway through (see note 3 for pressure cooker method).
- 7
Leave the root to cool in the water.
- 8
Transfer the roots to a chopping board. Remove the toothpicks. Cut the roots crosswise into slices (0.5-1cm thick).
- 9
Boil about 100 ml of the cooking liquid until it thickens. Pour it over the lotus root slices.
- 10
Add Sweet Osmanthus sauce or honey them serve.