At the table
Eat the slices in small bites and chew the sticky rice carefully.
Sticky rice requires careful chewing. Check syrup ingredients and any added allergens.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Some versions use osmanthus syrup versus dried flowers; sweetness level varies.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Sweet floral osmanthus with mild lotus and glutinous-rice fragrance.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Sticky rice inside cooked lotus-root slices; the root’s softness varies with the variety and cooking.
- How it’s made
- Lotus root sections are filled with soaked glutinous rice, cooked with sugar syrup, cooled, sliced and topped with osmanthus.
Some versions use osmanthus syrup versus dried flowers; sweetness level varies.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Jiangsu.
About this regional connection
Jiangsu: Jiangnan sweet also associated with Jiangsu.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有桂花糖藕吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Rice Hidden Inside Lotus Root
In this Jiangnan sweet, the natural holes in lotus root hold soaked glutinous rice. Slow cooking in sweet liquid softens the root and cooks the filling; slicing reveals the rice-filled pattern. Osmanthus flowers or syrup add a floral fragrance associated with autumn, while preserved syrup lets cooks use that aroma beyond the flowering season.