How To Cook Lotus Root Soup 莲藕汤 using Rice Cooker
Lotus root soup is one of Chinese soups that commonly cooked as home-cooked Chinese soup. It is one of my favourite Chinese soup. Lotus root and peanuts works well in this. And in Chinese medicine, lotus roots are also known to have many benefits like strengthening the body, dispelling heat and improving one’s appetite. Here is the Lotus Root Soup recipe I tried using rice cooker to prepare this soup.
PREPARATION: 10-15 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 1-2 HOURS
INGREDIENTS:
1. Approximately 400g lotus root
2. 250g pork ribs
3. 1.5 litres water
4. 10 dried pitted red dates
5. 100gram raw peanuts
6. 1 dried cuttlefish optional
7. salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS/ DIRECTIONS:
1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin from the lotus root and cut to 1 cm slices.
2. Blanch pork ribs in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. Then, rinse blanched pork pieces in cold water for quick wash and set aside.This is to remove the unwanted raw smell of the meat due to the presence of the blood and other impurities.
3. Soak the red dates and peanuts for 30 minutes.
4. In rice cooker, add water, lotus roots and the rest of the ingredients except salt. Simmer for 1-2 hours ( I prefer the meat tender and soft so I simmered for 2 hours), or until the pork is tender. And do keep warm until ready to serve. You can season with salt.
If you fancy for more ingredients, you can add on Goji (枸杞子, goji berry, or wolfberry), dried scallops and carrots to your soup.