SOUP holds a significant place in Chinese dinners, especially for the Cantonese, and this tradition extends to festive seasons.
While it’s common to showcase extravagant ingredients like abalone and fish maw during Chinese New Year (CNY), lotus root soup remains a more prevalent choice, and is usually the go-to soup in my household.
This soup is popular during CNY due to the phonetic similarity between lotus roots and the expression “year of plenty” in the Chinese language.
Season with salt before serving in individual bowls for each guest. — Photos: AINA AMIRAH and LOW LAY PHON/The Star
And such phonetic associations hold significance among the Chinese, especially during festive events, as they are considered auspicious.
Lotus root possesses a unique characteristic: although its raw rhizome appears white or pink, a prolonged simmering process is essential to extract its flavour, transforming the root and broth into a deep red tone.
Consequently, lotus root soup is a dish that demands patience, even though pressure cookers can expedite the cooking time.
Cut lotus roots into 1cm slices to ensure they are thick enough not to disintegrate over prolonged cooking.
Typically simmered for three hours, a pressure cooker can reduce this duration to an hour while achieving the desired richness and depth of flavour.
To enhance both colour and flavour, some prefer adding peanuts to the soup.
Given that peanuts require more time to soften, many home cooks opt to boil them separately for about an hour before incorporating other ingredients.
Fry the peanuts in oil until crispy, then drain and blot off excess oil before adding to the pot.
Frying the peanuts before boiling introduces an additional layer of flavour and smokiness to the soup, but it’s crucial to blot out excess oil to prevent cloudiness.
Additional pre-boiling may be necessary to further soften the fried peanuts.
Arrowroot is another optional ingredient that contributes flavour and body to the soup.
These should be cut into small cubes of approximately 2cm to 3cm to avoid large chunks in the final dish.
Lotus root soup consists of simple ingredients.
While Cantonese tradition dictates the inclusion of red jujube, using mushrooms instead can infuse more umami, especially for those not fond of Chinese dates.
Regardless of whether you’re using chicken or any other type of meat, it’s essential to blanch or parboil it before adding it to the pot, especially if you’ve been collecting bones and carcasses for your broth.
This step is crucial for removing any remaining blood, excess oil and undesirable odours from the meat, ensuring a cleaner and more refined flavour in your soup.
Blanch or parboil the chicken for about 5 minutes in a separate pot.
For those with vegetarian preferences, my mother-in-law prepares a meat-free version of the soup, boiling the meat separately.
Once both soups are ready, she portions out a vegetarian serving before reuniting the meaty soup back into the pot.
This thoughtful approach allows her to cater to diverse preferences within the family while adhering to her cherished recipe.
Lotus root peanut soup
Ingredients
1 spent hen
1 chicken carcass
200g lotus root, sliced
200g arrowroot, cubed
15g dried shiitake mushrooms
½ cup hot water
225g raw peanuts
¼ cup cooking oil
2 litres water
2 tsp salt to tasteDirections
Soak the mushrooms in hot water until rehydrated.
Parboil the chicken separately in boiling water for about 5 minutes to remove blood, oil and odours.
Fry the peanuts in cooking oil until crispy and lightly golden.
Strain excess oil in a wire mesh, then spread the peanuts on paper towels to blot excess oil.
Place all the ingredients into a pressure cooker to boil under high pressure for one hour to extract the flavour and soften all ingredients. Season with salt to taste.
Alternatively, simmer over the stove for 3 hours until soft. Enjoy steaming hot.
Enjoy steaming hot.
